Fire Emblem Awakening: Story of Legends
by justaguyonearth
Summary: What if the future children in awakening couldn't go to the past, but had to go to another world entirely? This is the story of Lucina and her Friends going to Elibe and meeting up with the young lion of Legend.
1. Fated meeting

DISCLAIMER: I DO **NOT** OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS THERE WILL BE NO OC'S OR SELF INSERT EVERY CHARACTER IS OWNED BY NINTENDO.

(Huh. i dunno if that was necessary im not writing for money or whatever or however this works. yeah still new to this. the end.)

 **A/n: just a story I came up with. It has a pretty stupid premise. Hope it can be a good first story. HERE WE GO!**

Fire... that was all that she saw. 'No this cannot be... is there any hope left?' Lucina was looking over Mount Prism. It had been completely overrun with risen. The young Sheperds had learned that there was a way to cross the boundaries of time. A sacred ceremony only used in the most dire of times. That gave them renewed morale long thought to have been lost. That hope was crushed when they found the state Mount Prism was in.

"LUCINA!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUT OF THERE!!"

Lucina whipped her head around and saw she was completely surrounded by Risen and a very determined Cynthia trying to fight them off.

"Cynthia?! Gah!"

"No time for formalities sis!! Let's beat these guys up!!"

They went back to back out of pure instinct (Well, as back as you can get on a Pegasus anyway.) then Lucina quickly went to work and decapitated two Risen in one stroke. Cynthia covered the sides and made a kebab of a few risen with her Lance. They worked in perfect harmony together, taking into account their respective weaknesses and strengths.

"Is..*huff* that all of them sis?"

"Yes, I believe so. where are the others?" Lucina checked all sides to make sure they were clear and she climbed up on Cynthia's pegasus.

"Not too far from here, they met up with somebody. I don't know her name. But she had Red hair and is apparently a merchant."Cynthia was feeling quite spry but took a sip of water from her waterskin.

"What? A merchant? How could she sell or find anything to sell?" Lucina thought out loud "Also, you said 'she' as in singular, she traveled alone!?"

"Yup, she insisted we come check out this weird thing she had. I didn't have time to find out what because you went ahead like the stubborn person you are!"

Lucina was taken aback by the fierceness in her voice.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was!? You went there alone! Don't do that again you hear!?"

"Oh.. Cynthia... I apologize, I shouldn't have worried you like that. I hope you can forgive me."

"You better be more than sorry..." Cynthia's head was downcast.

Lucina thought for a moment. Hoping to cheer her up. Her head perked up as she thought of said thing. "Um.. Cynthia, how about I give you the rest of my dessert rations as thanks and an apology?"

Cynthia's head quickly brightened with a smile. "You mean it sis? Aww... you're the best! Fine then, I accept your apology."

Cynthia thought for a moment and said crestfallenly, "So Mount Prism is overrun huh?"

Lucina's features darkened as she thought back to the sight she had seen. She then came to the realization that there was no way they could save the world. She was silent the rest of the way. when they arrived, the Junior Sheperds were quick to give Lucina an earful.

However, Gerome was quiet until he interrupted Brady when he noticed a certain red headed woman and said, "Put the scolding on hold for a second will you? she needs to hear this."

Lucina was thankful but confused. What could there possibly be to listen to? she was also saddened by the fact that she would have to tell them about Mount Prism. She was also questioning how she managed to lose her comrades as she ran to Mount Prism.She must have been so blinded by her duty that she hadn't noticed she had left behind her friends... or something.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she came face to face with a red haired young woman no older than the age of around 30 with a cape, a red and yellow tunic, a sword to her belt, and a bright grin.

"Ah, so you must be this Lucina that I keep hearing about from your friends, correct? My name is Anna!"

"U-um yes that is correct, pardon me, but do you know of the situation we are in?"

"Of course I do silly. Also, don't worry, I already told your friends about Mount Prism. If I didn't, I wouldn't have my job as the gatekeeper."

"Gatekeeper?"

"Indeed, you must come with me."

Lucina looked stoic and unconvinced, "My apologies but how do I know that I can trust you?"

"Ha, I was prepared for that question, I know your father." Lucina still looked unconvinced "Who doesn't?"

"Hold on, let me finish!" Anna childishly pouted. "I have a memento from him that you would know, or more specifically, of his departed wife." Anna pulled out a flower fortune flower that, by the looks of it Lucina's Mother had already used. Lucina looked at it to confirm it. And it indeed was.

"There, now do you believe me?" Anna questioned.

"...I'm Listening"

 **A/n: Oh boy** **wut will happen next? good thing i prewrote the second chapter for all to see. that was a good introduction right? im very new at this so leave a review please.** **P.S it is also a good thing i have nothing to do in my life right?** **UNTIL NEXT TIME!**


	2. Pherae

"So.. where shall I begin?" The group made their way to Southtown to get to.. whatever the place is she wants them to go. Anna told them stories about Chrom and how he used to visit this.. Outrealm gate.

"Wait, how often did he visit?" Lucina Questioned to Anna.

"Oh, VERY often." Anna said with a slight smirk. That got Lucina thinking..

"Was this before, or after my mother.. passed?"

"He started visiting more after she was killed."

Lucina couldn't breathe. She could only come to certain conclusions. "I swear if you seduced my Father I will make sure you won't see another day!!"

Anna only laughed at her threat. "Easy dear, he wasn't cheating on his wife, he was coming for a different reason."

Lucina gave a slight sigh of relief but she was conflicted because she still didn't think she could trust her.

Anna told them of the Outrealm gate and how it can send people to other worlds. She told them it was complicated how it works but it was useful because time flows differently in a sense that time stops where it is used and when they come back, it's like they never left.

"So how did you get one of My Mother's fortune flowers?" Lucina asked. Cynthia was curious as well. "Yeah! she uses a special kind of flower only we know about that she grows at the castle. How did you get your hands on one?"

"Your father gave it to me as a last resort. He knew he wouldn't win against Grima at the Dragon's Table, so he gave me the flower as proof I had good intentions. Funny how that worked out huh?"

Anna continued, "He had hope that you would be strong enough to lead your friends to at least survive." Then her demeanor changed into a more solemn tone."I was supposed to help you, but I failed Chrom because I didn't move and physically help. I.. I didn't want to die. Though no one could watch the gate if I left. I don't know if my actions were justifiable... I'm sorry.. "

Lucina looked at her. she seemed sincere and actually miffed at herself. ' _Well... we literally have nothing else to lose'_ she thought. "Very well Anna, I trust you."

Again, her demeanor changed immediately. "Really?! Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much!!" Anna exclaimed with a giddy smile. "I'll make it up to you soon, I promise!!"

After a few more minutes of marching, (And dealing with a few insignificant risen.) Anna stated that the giant glowing portal was their destination.

When they arrived, Anna was very happy with herself.

"So, you guys ready?" Anna asked the Junior Sheperds. Brady started with "Ready? I was born ready dammit,"

Kjelle followed with,"Yeah, let's kick some ass!" Gerome mumbled something along the lines of "It isn't our world so why should we care about it?"

Yarne was cowering on the ground, Severa was indifferent, Noire had been yelling something about "BLOOD AND THUNDER" Laurent was checking out the portal and occasionally saying "Fascinating..."

Owain was talking about how his sword hand was twitching because he could duel with a legendary hero, and Inigo was wondering if there were any pretty women to flirt with.

Cynthia questioned something to Lucina that was probably very important. "So uh.. Lucy... Where exactly are we going?

Lucina was quick to go up to Anna to repeat the question.

"A place called Pherae. There, you can meet the Young Lion Roy.

"What!? You mean the Legendary Hero that dethroned the mad king of Bern? Lucina asked, shocked.

"The very same, But the stories were kind of wrong. He was.. a bit of a pipsqueak and one of the weakest heroes in actuality. You.. should see for yourself when you meet him." Anna said unenergetically.

Lucina didn't know what to think, but she ended up saying, "Wait, but if he managed to defeat the mad king, why does he need our help?"

"Because I have a plan, If you befriend them in their world, they will most certainly help you out in ours, they are very kind and Roy loves helping people and repaying debts."

Anna stopped, thinking. Then followed up with, "When you defeat the mad king, meet up with the Anna gatekeeper of their world to come back here. Also, think of this as a sort of training journey! You get much needed battle experience and one of the most handsome people ever as your husband." Anna sighed dreamily.

Lucina's cheeks flushed a dark red and she said, "Er, u-um I don't think that is appropriate to think about.." Anna laughed, she clearly got the response she wanted, "Heh, so you have seen the Elibe History books huh?"

Lucina turned away and looked to the ground to hide her blush. Though she turned back as Anna finished preparations for the Junior Sheperds.

"Alrighty, time to go you guys and good luck!!" Anna had given Each of them 2000 gold and a pat on the back before they went on their way. Lucina went last, making sure nobody got left behind. She was about to step in but Anna stopped her.

"Uh. damn I forgot, one last thing Lucina, You may get separated from all of your friends..

"W-what!?"

"Sorry.." Anna looked to the ground apologetically.

Lucina gave a deep sigh and gave Anna her thanks and stepped in the portal...

...ey...ou...ke

...hey...g.t...p

...ca...ear...m..

"Hey, can you hear me?"

Lucina awoke and adjusted her vison and was met with a young looking boy with crimson hair.

"Ah.. good to see you're alive." The boy gave a smile that put her at ease for a moment. Then she remembered where she was and jolted up.

"Gah! s-sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The boy exclaimed and caused her to freeze and get a better look at him. He had a Rapier strapped to his waist and a dark blue headband and a short but regal looking cape, and wore a blue uniform with white trousers and blue armor.

"U-uh, miss?" The boy asked nervously. Lucina then realized what exactly she was doing and promptly looked to the ground, blushing.

"O-oh sorry, I.."

Lucina started but was waved off.

"No harm done, now, can you tell me your name?"

"L-Lucina, my name is Lucina, and what is your name kind sir?" Lucina asked, even though she knew the answer to said question.

The boy smiled and said, "My name is Roy."

 **A/n: Ahhh. a perfect way to end the chapter right? Again Im still new to this sort of thing so please excuse me if I make any mistakes. Thanks. I am just a guy on earth so im not perfect.** **Anyway, next part will hopefully come soon so, yeah.** **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	3. Young Lion of Legend?

Lucina hadn't known much about the story of The Pheraean army other than they won against overwhelming odds against Bern and that they had a talented leader. That leader was of course, Roy.

However, seeing him in battle was on her to-do list. she is rather curious as to why Anna called him weak.

"So you're Roy huh?" Lucina tried to feign ignorance.

"Indeed I am. Have you heard of me?" Roy asked quite curiously. He thought maybe she had due to his Father's exploits.

"Um.. well I-"

"Lord Roy! the break is over, we must make haste to castle Pherae!" Marcus appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

While Roy was slightly startled, Lucina quickly jumped up and unsheathed Falchion, pointing it in the direction of where she heard the voice.

"Whoa! Its alright Lucina, His name is Marcus and he is on our side!" Roy was quite amazed by how fast and precise her movements were. Meanwhile, Lucina lowered her blade, and quickly apologized.

"I-I'm sorry! I don't do well with surprises..."

"No harm done Milady. It was rather rude of me to barge in like that." Marcus then turned to Roy and said, "Pardon the interruption Lord Roy, but we really must be going."

"Of course, shall we then?" Roy turned to Lucina, "It seems you know what you're doing with that blade rather well. You can join us if you like, we offer money, housing, or schooling for your services."

"Yes, I think I will join you. where are we headed?"

Roy balled his fists and responded, "To Pherae, we have a castle to reclaim."

On the way to castle Pherae, Lucina was on horseback with Roy. She wondered what gods or godesses they worshipped. More pressingly, she wondered if they knew of Naga Or Grima. ' _Perhaps_ _these are questions for later, they might not worship anyone.'_ Though she could not help but wonder if the brand in her eye would give her away. _'Naga is a divine dragon... the people killed dragons in this world, it was called the scouring. Oh gods, if someone recognizes the brand, will they kill me?'_ She really wanted to put on the butterfly mask Gerome gave her but was afraid it may raise questions. _'Gerome.. I hope the others are okay. I was fortunate enough to land near Pherae'_

"So, tell me about yourself Lucina." Roy started, then continued with "I am quite curious, and that... weird thing in your eye is quite interesting. What is it?"

 _'Well, he sure is perceptive, I'll give him that.'_

Lucina wondered how much she should tell him. She decided to be a bit on the vague side of things. "It is..a birthmark I suppose."

"Birthmark? What does it mean?"

Lucina thought for a few seconds. "In my country, it shows that we are of royal blood."

"Ah. So you are a princess then?"

"Yes, i'm the Princess of Ylisse."

"Huh? Ylisse? My apologies, I haven't heard of such a place."

"Ah.. um about that... it is a little hard to explain."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me _everything_. So you're a Princess? Well you sure look like one." Roy blushed immediately upon saying those words. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Lucina's face was crimson, mirroring Roy's. "N-no it is alright, I know you didn't mean anything by it.. So you're a Prince Correct? I heard Marcus call you 'Lord Roy'.

"Well.. sort of. I'm the son of the marquess of Pherae."

There was sort of an awkward silence a little afterwards. Until a certain Paladin called out to Roy.

"There it is Lord Roy, castle Pherae!" Marcus gave the order for everyone to rally around Roy for the strategy plan.

"Lord Roy, we must make haste, Lady Lillina and Lord Eliwood are in there! Lance and Alan had scouted the area and came back to report.

Roy was quickly giving out orders to all the troops and they started moving out.

"Lucina, stay with me, we have the advantage because they're wielding axes!"

"Right!" Lucina turned to Roy and saw he was struggling with a bandit. She quickly dashed to him and saved him.

"Urg..Thanks for the save."

Roy looked mildly injured. Lucina gave a nod and returned into the fray, taking out multiple foes at once.

Roy was amazed by just how strong Lucina was. He wouldn't be surprised if she could take them all on herself. To him, her battle prowess rivaled that of Marcus.

Lucina wasn't tiring out anytime soon. even though she just came here from the future, these bandits were total pushovers. she had not even broken a sweat. _'Roy struggled against only one of these bandits? That will not do.'_

After about 2 minutes, the battle was over, much to the surprise of both Lucina, Roy and his comrades.

"Um.. that was it?" Wolt asked Bors.

"Erm, I suppose so. Sir Marcus, what happened to all the enemies?"

Marcus pointed to a bloodied Lucina who had already taken down the bandit boss and the bandits surrounding the destroyed village.

"I have no idea where she came from, but her techniques are flawless, she was striking very disciplined, precise, quick and accurate...I think she could even best _me_ in a duel..." Marcus stated with surprise showing.

"Y-ya think so?!" Wolt asked mouth agape. "Roy, did you find her? You sure are talented at finding pretty women. Why don't you try to woo her? Heh, that is if she doesn't beat you into the ground first."

Roy's face turned a dark red as he said embarrased, " W-woo her!?" Roy stuttered. "I think we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves!" Wolt raised his eyebrow at that and said, "So you _are_ interested in her?" Roy flinched and said, "N-no, that's not what I meant!" Wolt guffawed saying, "Relax Roy, it was just a joke." "Well I-I didn't think it was that funny.." Roy responded, With Wolt giving Roy a playful punch on the arm.

Lucina had no idea that the battle was over. Though they were easy opponents, she felt sick to her stomach, and she knew why. She had never killed before. The Risen were already dead and lives were valuable to her. she almost threw up when her mind came back to the gruesome images of battle until she saw the others come up to her. She cursed at herself when she realized she got carried away and left them behind.

"Um.. h-hello Lucina.. How in the world did you do that?!" Roy asked, bewildered.

"Do what?" she asked feigning confusion.

"This.. all of this. Marcus is our finest soldier and he wouldn't be able to pull that off as easy as you did!" Lucina was blushing at the compliments then realized what they were for. She suddenly became crestfallen.

"Roy.. have you ever... killed before?" Roy's expression mirrored hers. "No.. no I haven't." Roy then put a hand on her shoulder then said, "I haven't killed before, but there will be time for mourning later. Don't worry Lucina, I feel the same way, but I promise you that my comrades and I will help you carry the burden. Killing is by no means justifiable. But we will do whatever it takes to protect the ones we care about."

"Roy... thank you.. truly." Lucina said with a smile.

Everyone was checking for any injuries while Roy went inside the castle to greet his father Eliwood and Lillina, his childhood friend.

"Father! Lillina! Thank the gods you two are safe. I feared I wouldn't make it in time!"

Eliwood turned around to face Roy "Roy, is that you?

Lillina ran to Roy and gave him a bear hug then she went outside to meet with Bors.

Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief, "Roy, thank you for coming this far, I apologize.

Roy shook his head, "No father it is alright, more pressingly, how is your health?

Eliwood grinned "I'm still alive, see? But Roy, you know why I called you here right?"

Roy nodded his head "Of course father, I am to lead Pherae's army in your stead and meet up with the Lycian Alliance Army."

"Indeed." Eliwood balled his fists, "As you may know, Bern has started to conquer Lycia. So we must follow the ancient rule and send our military to protect Lycia!"

"Of course father! I won't disappoint you!"

Eliwood looked at him with a smile which was soon replaced with a deep frown. "I really didn't want to send for you because you were studying.. but I am too ill, I would only get in the way of everyone else..."

"Father..." Roy turned and saw his friend from the entrance.

"Mister Eliwood, I will accompany Roy!" Lilina said with determination. "My father is in charge of Lycia's main army."

She then shuffled her feet nervously "A-and I've been practicing my magic recently, I could be of some use to Roy.."

"No Lillina, You will return to Ostia."

"What? Why?"

"With your father's absence, there is nobody sitting on the throne of Ostia. The people must be feeling nervous and uptight." Eliwood continued. "Since you are the daughter of the marquess, I imagine you would ease the tension of the people." Eliwood shook his head with a smile. "Not to mention, your father will kill both me and Roy if something happened to you." Eliwood became serious again. "So, am I wrong?"

"...No sir." Lilina then turned around to make a request of Bors.

Eliwood turned back to his son, who was listening in silence. "Roy, you must go to the Bern border to meet up with a mercenary group that I arranged a contract with. Merlinus will accompany you, he should helpful with his knowledge." Roy then stepped forward and gave Eliwood an intense bear hug, much to his dismay. "Ngh.. Roy you realize that I am ill correct?" Though he said that with a stern voice, he had a smile on his face that would not come off. "Oh.. sorry father.. but anyways, thank you for everything, I hope I can live up to your expectations."

"Don't worry Roy, i'm positive you'll do an astounding job. Now go, you have quite the journey ahead of you. Go and fight, show them just who you are, the next marquess of Pherae!"

"Yes father!! I will bring peace to Elibe!!

and with that, Roy went outside to meet with the others when he was stopped by Lilina. "Roy.. be careful" she gave him a quick embrace. "I know Lilina, I will. You be sure to stay out of trouble alright, safe travels." Lilina was about to leave until she caught sight of a blue haired woman whose hair looked almost identical. ' _Who is that? We look pretty similar.'_ She decided to make conversation with her.

Lucina was enjoying looking at the waters next to the ruins of the village. She heard footsteps behind her, she put her hand on the hilt of Falchion, but turned and saw a youthful girl around her mid teens and she quickly relinquished her grip on Falchion.

"My apologies, I thought you may have been an enemy." Lucina said averting her gaze.

"Er, it is fine, I don't believe we've met before. Are you a new recruit in Roy's army?"

Lucina turned to look at her. She had Hair only a shade lighter than hers, a tome in her left hand, and elegant headband, though she was wearing a cloak that mages commonly wear.

"A-are you okay?"

 _'I really need to stop doing that.'_

O-oh, sorry about that, yes I just joined with him not too long ago.

"I see.. In that case.." She extended her hand to Lucina. "My name is Lilina, I'm Roy's Friend!"

Lucina took the offered handshake.

"My name is Lucina."

"Well it was nice meeting you Lucina, pardon me, but I must be going to Ostia to 'ease the tension of the people' or so Mister Eliwood calls it." Lilina gave a slight pout and a sigh. "I know he means well but I want to be useful. Anyways, I shouldn't trouble you with this, farewell Lucina.

"Farewell..."

And with that, Lilina took off on horseback while Lucina thought about what she said. She only read parts of the history books, but she had a gut feeling Lilina was in trouble.

 _'Well, Sir Hector is her father. I think she will be alright.'_

She then heard the order made by Roy that they were ready to march.

 **A/n: welp, there goes another chapter. i'm ok with how this one turned out. I hope to improve though**.

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	4. Troubles

It was evening, Roy's army had set up camp for the night.

Lucina was wandering around camp, looking for the Young Lion. She had finished her training session and wanted to spar with Roy. Eventually, she found him in the mess tent with the others.

"Oh, greetings Lucina." Roy said with a smile.

"Greetings Lord Roy. I was hoping that we could spar a bit. I'm curious about the strength of the leader of Pherae's army."

"What? Y-you want to spar?" Roy was starting to panic. He saw her abilities on the battlefield and he did not want to cross swords with her.

"Yes, Is there a problem?"

"..No. The practice swords should be with Merlinus. B-but perhaps you should get a bite to eat first. Yes that's it. You must be starving!"

Roy gained hope that he could hold out a little while longer when she nodded her head.

Lucina was feeling quite famished herself. ' _I just realized I did not eat before coming here_.'

As she came to this realization, it was at this point Roy got a good look at her and felt both guilty and shocked. She looked as if she were suffering from malnutrition, she had bags on her eyes, and looked quite alert, like she was expecting someone or something to strike at any moment.

' _Oh gods. What the hell has this poor girl gone through_!?'

"Is something the matter?"

Roy looked at her eyes with a half confused and half worried expression.

"What? Haven't you been feeling exhausted? Hungry? You look like you went to war with the human race itself!"

Lucina wore a face of utter confusion.

"Why on earth would I start a war on humanity? I want to save humanity!"

"Lucina that was a... Wait, save humanity?"

Realizing what she said, she turned and started to walk away "I have said too much, I must be going."

"Wait, please listen."

Lucina stopped in her tracks, waiting for him to continue.

"I don't know what you have gone through. But I will not question you if it makes you uncomfortable." ' _Even if the part about you saving humanity makes me uneasy.'_ Roy added mentally.

There was silence until Roy continued.

"I at least want you to eat and take better care of yourself. You're one of us now, it is my responsibility to take care of everyone's well being."

Lucina gave a sigh as she turned back around. "I understand. I am not ready to talk about my past just yet. But I appreciate your concern...Thank you."

"No problem. You should get some rest too. We are nearing Araphen. Grab something to eat and head to bed."

"..I suppose that would be for the best. No sparring then?"

"..Sorry..."

"Very well, I will see you tomorrow then Lord Roy."

"Goodnight Lucina, and please, just call me Roy."

Lucina smiled. "Very well. Goodnight Roy."

Roy left the mess tent with a sigh of relief. Relief that he didn't have to spar with Lucina who may or may not kill him or do irreparable damage to his body, and that he had helped the mysterious girl, if only a little.

' _Who is she? And what are her goals? Could she be an enemy spy? No, I doubt it. She is in poor condition and had eyes of sorrow that felt genuine.'_ That at least left Roy something to ponder about as he went to his tent to draft marching plans.

o - o - o - o

The next morning, Lucina groggily woke from her slumber. She had taken Roy's advice and eaten then went straight to bed and she had to admit, she felt quite refreshed. Lucina had eaten quite a bit last night.

' _I suppose I was hungrier than I thought.'_ She had almost forgotten what it felt like to have a full stomach.

She hadn't taken off her armor last night, so she put on her boots and stepped outside.

Lucina stretched her arms upwards and let out a small yawn. It looked to be around midday.

"How could I have slept this late!" She chastised herself.

Deciding she shouldn't dwell on it, she headed to the mess tent thinking it must have been around lunchtime.

When she arrived, She saw Marcus, Roy, and Wolt sitting at a table having a conversation. She managed to hear parts of their conversation from outside. Though she didn't like eavesdropping, she was rather curious.

"So.. no then?" She recognized the voice that belonged to Roy's milk-brother, Wolt.

"For the last damn time, NO!" Lucina heard Roy's shout and jumped slightly.

"Aww, you're no fun."

"Focus. We must prepare to leave for Araphen. We have dawdled here long enough. Marcus, do me a favor and get the others. We leave in a few hours."

"Of course milord."

Realizing that her time eavesdropping was up, she stepped inside before Marcus could catch her standing outside.

"Ah, hello milady. I was just on my way out. Farewell."

After giving a nod to the old knight, she went inside and sat at the table Roy and Wolt were sitting at.

"Oh, hello Lucina. How are you today?" Roy said with a slightly red face.

Tilting her head at the blush, she responded. "Greetings... Roy, are you alright?"

"Yeah, just peachy." He said looking away.

"Oh, good. I thought something was a little off about you."

"Roy was just being sarcastic. So.. he isn't fine. I take it quips aren't your strong suit?" Wolt said.

"No, where I am from there is no need for speaking in such a way." her mood had soured from recalling her world.

Wolt quickly changed the subject back to the matter at hand. "So, You should ask Roy what is bothering him."

"Oh, right! My apologies Roy. So why are you unwell?"

Roy quickly cursed himself under his breath for not taking his leave.

"U-uh, nothing. Just that Wolt is being especially annoying and is REALLY getting on my nerves."

"Heh, and I think I know why what I said annoyed you so much!" Wolt said with a smirk.

"Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why!"

Lucina's interest piqued. "I'm a bit curious, what did you say?"

"Gods no! Please Wolt don't say a word." Roy had a grimace and was clearly embarrassed.

"Oh come on, don't be such a baby."

"Wha-baby!? This is my personal life here, and you're saying i'm overreacting?"

"Um, I am rather curious as to what you're speaking of."

Roy gave a groan and Wolt still had a smug smirk.

' _Why does this always happen to me with Wolt?_ Roy pleaded to the heavens for an answer.

"Well, we were just talking about how much better I am with a sword than he i-"

He was interrupted by Roy giving him a smack on the back of his head.

"Ouch! Alright, alright! Anyway, what we were talking about was.. actually we were talking about you."

This made Lucina a little confused. But she waited for him to continue.

"Well, I was trying to get him to admit he likes you just because you look like his crush: Lady Lilina! Not only that, but we were also talking about how he was telling us that he had spoken with you yesterday and managed to get out of a sparring match with you!" Wolt seemed very satisfied when Roy put his head on the table and when Lucina tried her best to stifle a laugh.

"I-is that so!?" Lucina was tearing from the laughter and Roy gave yet another groan.

"...Two things: One, I do not have a crush on Lilina or Lucina. Two, WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO SAY THAT LAST PART!"

"What's the matter, you afraid?" Wolt said with a widening grin.

"Well Roy, I suppose we will have to spar right now to make up for that." Lucina said, almost forgetting what she asked him last night.

"W-what!? Please no, I would like not being crippled for the rest of my life!" Roy was practically begging not to go. But Lucina was insistent.

"Please Roy? I promise I won't hurt you..hopefully."

While that last part did not reassure him, he looked into her pleading eyes and found he could not argue. He relented with a sigh. "Fine.. lets just get it over with."

"Thank you Roy! I will go get the practice swords! Meet me at the training grounds."

"Yeah, sure, ok."

With newfound excitement she ran off and gave them a small wave.

Wolt looked to Roy "You can thank me later."

' _Yeah thanks a lot smartass.'_ He didn't say that part out loud, he would have his revenge in the future.

"So why did you let me tell her?" Wolt asked.

"Well, its not like I had much of a choice anyways. But I did not expect you to tell her about the sparring match."

"Well what did you think ya big dummy?! Don't worry, I'll cheer for you on the sidelines... as you get your ass handed to you."

Roy simply scoffed and walked out of the tent without another word.

Steeling himself, he walked towards the training grounds...

o - o - o - o - o

 **A/n: So sorry for the wait. I have a newfound respect for fanfiction writers.**

 **On a sidenote, I know Roy may be kinda OOC but I kind of want to make him more interesting since you know, he is basically a plank of wood in his game.**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	5. Leadership

"Ow, ow! Damn it that hurts!"

Roy was in the medical tent, being treated by Lucina, who was their only competent healer. And even then, she didn't use staves and was only mediocre.

"Hold still, you're making this difficult for the both of us.. It doesn't look too bad.."

Lucina was treating his leg wounds and had already, for the most part, healed his shoulders.

Roy was being 'supervised' by Wolt, who was quick to make witty quips about his suffering best friend.

"Well, maybe if you didn't suck with swords, you could actually win." Wolt said with his signature grin.

Lucina, not able to understand jokes, took this seriously.

"It isn't his fault, you should stop berating him and have confidence in his abilities! He is your leader and you are expected to treat him as such. Do you think you can win against me? I would be happy to spar with you next." Lucina said with a stern voice and a cold glare.

"N-no ma'am! I was simply joking see? I wouldn't actually say such things to him. Please don't hurt me, I am so sorry!" Wolt was terrified and his words were spoken the quickest Roy has ever heard him speak. Which was saying something.

Roy was stifling a laugh and Lucina, satisfied by his answer, turned back to Roy.

Lucina was confused at his behavior.

"Roy? I thought you would be upset with him."

"Lucina, we need to work on your humor. He was joking, I know he didn't truly mean it... But the part about me sucking with a blade was true. I have no talent with magic, lances, or axes. Swords were my best bet starting out. I do not plan to change my weapons though I am terrible with a sword." Roy said with a crestfallen expression.

"Roy...If that is truly how you feel, I will help you. No, we don't have to spar, but I can train you and maybe show some of my techniques."

"You mean it?! Thank you so much, I promise not to slack off!" Roy said, determined.

"Of course. It is the least I can do for _you_ helping _me."_

"U-um Roy, do I have permission to help Lucina with her sense of humor?"

"It isn't my permission to give." Roy gestured a hand to Lucina.

"O-oh, so sorry milady, can I help you with your humor?" Wolt said, intimidated.

"You may. It could help me in the future I suppose. But not now please... I would like some time."

"Of course milady."

Lucina frowned at that.

"Just call me Lucina, I was never fond of formalities."

"Of course, sorry mil- I-I mean Lucina. Roy, I think I will be taking my leave. Farewell Roy, L-Lucina."

Wolt left the tent and Roy was smiling. He never knew Wolt could get so intimidated by someone.

Roy's smile turned into a frown as his mind drifted back to the sparring match.

 _30 minutes ago_

 _Roy was patiently waiting for Lucina at the training grounds. He only arrived 5 minutes ago. He had already taken care of his work before their chat. It was boring for him. He was listening to reports from Alan and Lance, their scouts, (the only ones they could find) daily workouts with Marcus, (which he dreaded) and lastly, planning the army's next move. He wondered what exactly Lucina was doing that could take her longer._

 _He spotted Wolt and just like he promised, he was going to "cheer for him" on the sidelines._

 _"What? You should be happy! You need practice with a blade!"_

 _"Practice Wolt, not sparring!"_

 _"Regardless, you will at least learn something."_

 _"I swear to the dragons of the scouring, you will be the death of me."_

 _"Speak of the devil and she shall appear! Hello Lucina." Wolt said excitedly._

 _Choosing to ignore that statement, she turned to Roy. "I believe it is time for our sparring match. Are you prepared?"_

 _"U-uh yes, I am prepared. Ready when you are" Roy gave an inaudible gulp as his nervous expression returned._

 _"Don't worry Roy, I will go easy on you. This doesn't have to be serious, I just wanted to test your abilities. We will fight until one of us yields." Lucina said as she handed him a practice sword._

 _"That is reassuring._ _And I agree to the rules_."

 _"Very well. Don't hold back. Begin!"_

 _Roy approached with a stab which was parried easily by Lucina. Roy decided that it was best if he baited her out so she could have the first move._

 _Roy regretted that decision as he found she was fast and relentless. She struck with an intense determination rarely seen in people. It was as if she were carrying a burden no one else could handle. He was hit a few times in the shoulder and arms, and he was bleeding. Roy was struggling to hold up his blade._

 _Lucina tried her very best to hold back as she went on the offensive. He wasn't amazing, 'He isn't too bad for a beginner.' She thought as she kept attacking. Deciding he had enough, she halted her assault and waited for him to attack._ _Roy thought of his options._

 _'I could attack first, but she would parry and then counterattack. I could advance but she would cut me down. Hm, what to do...'_

 _Roy decided to rush in and strike hard. 'Maybe I could disarm her if she blocked?'_

 _However, she simply sidestepped and struck him in the legs which caused him to lose his footing as she lifted the blade to his neck._

 _"GAH! I YIELD, I YIELD! I thought you said you were gonna go easy on me!" Roy said, legs bleeding from the contact._

 _"Sorry about that, I guess I got a little carried away." Lucina said with an apologetic expression._

 _"Hah... my shoulders and legs are killing me..."_ _Roy said with a grimace._

 _"Wh-what!? Don't worry Roy! You'll be fine, I will make sure you won't die! Oh gods what have I done!?" Lucina said with a terrified expression._

 _"Huh?! N-no don't worry, that was just an expression. I'm not dying because of these wounds. It simply means that it hurts a lot." Roy said, trying to calm her._

 _"Oh... Sorry I'm not used to people speaking that way." Lucina said, gradually calming down._

 _"It's alright. Oh, but we don't have any healers! Crap!" Roy said, not wanting to waste vulneraries._

 _"Do we have medical supplies Wolt?" Lucina asked the bowman._

 _"Uh, I believe we do? It isn't very practical though since staves exist..I suppose you have experience with that sort of thing?"_

 _"Yes, although very limited. Come Roy, I will look for them." Lucina said._

 _"Heh, I should supervise you two. Who knows what would happen if an assassin shows up and it was too late?"_

 _"I assure you, I am strong enough to protect us from mere assassins." Lucina said with confidence._

 _Wolt gave a sigh. "That was... you know what? Nevermind."_

 _"My body hurts, can we please go as soon as possible?" Roy asks as he slung his arm around Lucina's shoulder, slightly annoyed by Wolt's antics._

 _"Yes, let's go." Lucina said, leading him to the medical tent._

o - o - o - o

"Alright.. I think that should do it.. I am truly sorry about those injuries Roy. I did not mean to hurt you as bad as I did. Please forgive me." Lucina said, guilt clawing at her mind.

Roy gave a small smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. It feels better already, I should be fine while marching today. Don't worry about me."

"Still though, I feel I should help you with something in return.."

"Well... Can you tell me more about yourself? You are quite the interesting individual."

Lucina was hesitant to tell him of anything about herself. ' _I suppose I can trust him, he is very kind. He is the legendary hero... but now I see how he is from my eyes.'_

"What do you wish to know?" She finally asked.

"Well, what is that blade you're carrying? It looks very elegant." Roy said, not digging too deep so that he did not catch her off guard.

"Well.. this blade is called Falchion. It can slay dragons and can never break or dull. It is a legendary blade wielded by my ancestors."

"I see. That is quite the legacy." Roy said thoughtfully. ' _But.. then, wait.'_

"Lucina... If that is true, how have I not heard of these people? You said you were royalty but I have never heard of Ylisse, if your ancestors used this blade to slay dragons, why is it not mentioned in legends of the scouring?" Roy said, coming to a realization.

Lucina knew she had to explain sometime, she decided now was the time to tell him everything.

"Roy... I come from another world."

"What!?" Roy said, unable to form any other words.

"It is true. The country I am from, as you know, is Ylisse. And why I am here.. is a long story."

"Forgive me, we may have to delay this story, but you can tell me when during the march."

"...I understand. But this is something I trust only you with as of right now."

"Don't worry, I will make sure we have adequate privacy." Roy said with a warm smile.

"Farewell Roy, I will get my belongings ready." Lucina said to as she turned and started walking to her tent.

"Farewell... And Lucina!" Roy called out to her. She looked back at him for a response. "...Thank you. For healing my wounds." Roy said with a shy smile.

"You're welcome Roy... And I thank _you_ for the sparring match." Lucina then continued walking to her tent.

o - o - o - o

 _Meanwhile.. at the castle east of the village on the border of Pherae and Bern.._

"What I'm asking is where the princess is!" A red headed woman shouted at a man.

"Y-yes Captain Miledy, I am certain she was in her room this morning." The man replied.

Miledy shook her head out of frustration.

"I've already heard that! What I want to know is where the princess is at this moment, not moments _ago_ , you idiot!"

"W-well..um...she's.. er.." The man started, but was cut off by her.

"We're almost going into head on war with Lycia. What if something happens to the princess? Can you take responsibility?"

"..." The man was silent.

Miledy continued. "I never should have let her highness go down to the border in the first place. I will return to Bern and inform the King about this matter. I'll try not to make it into a panic, so you must find the princess as soon as possible."

"Yes Ma'am!" The man finally replied.

Miledy then left on her wyvern and the man called a soldier outside the castle.

"Is Princess Guinevere still with us?"

The soldier quickly replied. "Yes sir, she is under constant monitoring in the basement room."

The man wore a satisfied expression. "Good, don't let her escape."

The soldier was a bit uneasy. "..Sir, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Don't worry! Bern has a lot of enemies, the younger sister of King Zephiel, we'll be sure to get a hefty amount by turning her into one of their foes."

"..." The soldier was silent.

The man in armor continued. "We're not going to make it anywhere by serving our country anyway, so we're better off thinking of ways to make money fast, no?"

"Yes.. of course sir. But.. there is one problem with that plan."

The man was confused. "Hm? what do you mean by that?"

The soldier was slightly nervous. "I have just received a report... It seems that Princess Guinevere's servant has escaped."

The man had a furious expression. "What!? You fool! Why didn't you say so earlier!? Go search for her immediately! Don't let her get away!"

The soldier rushed off and the man in the armor rallied his troops.

o - o - o - o

Roy's forces were marching towards Araphen. They made good time, and were only a half a day's march. However, they stopped at the village on the border of Pherae and Bern to meet up with the mercenary band that Roy's father, Eliwood, had hired for him. East of the village is a small castle occupied by Bern's forces, which was in a chaotic state.

Roy was having his talk with Lucina about the apocalyptic world she came from during the march. He was quite shocked to learn that she had to grow up so fast to lead only a handful of soldiers as a form of resistance against reanimated monsters.

"..Your world sounds awful.. I am glad you came here." Roy spoke to her softly.

"Every day, we fought for our survival and had to press on even when we received news about our parents' deaths. We could not lose hope, and when lady Tiki, the voice of the Divine Dragon, Naga, told us of a way we could travel back in time, we were overjoyed. But... we could not leave in time. The Risen had already destroyed Mount Prism and our last hope was instantly crushed." Lucina told Roy, almost struggling but managing to put on a stoic face.

"I'm.. so sorry. I cannot possibly imagine such a fate on anybody, let alone a group of people. But I have a few questions. My first is who is Naga?"

Lucina realized she might be heading into a slightly dangerous topic. "She is.. a Divine Dragon that we worship."

"Divine Dragon!? B-but isn't that dangerous? I heard awful things about the dragons of this world, but in your world too?" Roy said, quite alarmed.

"No! Naga is different, she in fact loves humanity!" Lucina quickly stated.

"Really? But.. I always heard terrible things about them because of the scouring." Roy said, a bit confused.

"I apologize Roy, I do not understand why, but know that there is good in everything. My Father always used to to say that to me. He had said that those words came from his sister, Emmeryn, my Aunt." Lucina said, eyes focused on the young Lord.

"I see... But, I have another question, why were there Risen in the first place? Where did they come from?" Roy asked, a bit unnerved by the question but he didn't know why.

That was the question Lucina hoped to avoid but knew it was inevitable. She did not want to talk about that monster that took everything from her.

"They come from...Grima. The Fell Dragon. He is the living embodiment of despair and terror. He is an evil dragon deity who took our families and our childhood from us." Lucina said, eyes full of determination, and contempt for the Fell dragon.

"I see, I should have known. It sounds awful Lucina. I promise I will keep you away from such a life. Don't worry, you have a home here in Elibe."

Lucina shook her head, if only it were that simple. "Roy, I cannot. I cannot stay here and do nothing while the Fell dragon massacres possible survivors! He will not get the satisfaction of defeating us and surviving!"

"I would like to help you, but how can we defeat such a thing? It sounds like an insurmountable task!"

"There is a way. We can-" She started but was cut off by Merlinus telling Roy that they arrived.

"Pardon me milady, milord, but we have arrived." Merlinus calmly told them.

"Ah, apologies Lucina, but we will have to continue this another time. I am sorry. Farewell for now."

"It isn't a problem, you have my gratitude for the talk. I will be seeing you." Lucina said somewhat curtly, walking towards the others.

Roy gave Lucina one last concerned glance then turned to Merlinus. "So, Merlinus, this is where we were to meet up with the mercenary band? Looks awfully secluded."

"Indeed it is. They should be here any second now."

"I see. Wait, who is that?!" Roy exclaimed.

A young girl no older than 17 had ran towards the direction of the small army and appeared to be a Nun. She accidentally bumped into Roy.

"Ah! Excuse me! I was in a hurry.." She said guiltily.

"No worries, I'm fine. What about you?" Roy asked, since she was quite out of breath.

"I'm fine, my name is Ellen... you are from Lycia are you not?" She asked slightly hopeful.

"Uh.. yeah, but why? I am the son of Eliwood." He asked confused.

"Oh thank you gods for your guidance!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh...What?"

"Please, could you help me rescue my mistress?" She asked.

"Y-your what!? Ah, um.. Ma'am that is.. What happened?" Roy stuttered turning a light shade of pink.

The young sister gave a sigh at that response. "No, you are mistaken. She is a Princess you brute! I would expect someone like you to have have better manners!" She said with a stern face.

"R-right, yes Ma'am, my apologies. N-now what happened?" _'I must be hanging around Wolt too much.'_ Roy thought with an internal groan.

"Anyway, we were travelling to meet someone from the Lycia Alliance, but when we were passing through here, we fell into a trap set by Rude, the lord in the castle. We were captured..." She said with a tear in her eye.

"Master Roy! We must not get into unnecessary entanglements with Bern now!" Merlinus stated, no empathy showing.

"Maybe it would be unwise. But we cannot neglect a person who came to meet up someone from the Alliance." Roy told him, surprised by Merlinus's thought process.

"There! Its them!! Get the servant girl, it doesn't matter whether she is dead or alive!" An enemy soldier said, retreating to his allies.

"No! Merlinus, Ellen, we must retreat to the others, quickly!" Roy told Merlinus to give the signal for the others to prepare for battle.

"Yes Master Roy! Right away!"

Roy lead the young sister to the others.

When they arrived, Roy gave the signal to fall in around him.

"Where is the enemy?" Lucina asked Roy.

"Just east of here, we will charge their castle. Their numbers greatly outrank ours but..."

"That leaves us open if they charge _us_. Though we could bait them into a trap, it would be suicide without ally assistance." Marcus said.

"I could try to pick them off, but I need backup. Our enemies have plenty of opportunities to gang up on us." Wolt said.

Roy gave a sigh. This was his second battle as leader and he wasn't doing very well in his eyes.

Lucina thought hard. She knew there was something that helped her father in the wars he fought. A tactic used by his closest friend.

She finally remembered said tactic. "..May I suggest pairing up?"

Everyone looked at her thoughtfully. "So, you are suggesting that we fight side-by side instead of individually? Hmm..." Roy responded, thinking of possible scenarios.

"That might just work!" Marcus said after thinking of outcomes and enemy responses.

"Indeed. Our partner can cover our flanks and give protection when fighting multiple foes. It seems that Lucina is not only strong, but smart too!" Roy said with admiration.

Lucina looked at the ground in response to the praise. "Its nothing special... It isn't even my own tactic."

"Regardless, this will definitely help us in the battles to come!" Roy insisted.

"So.. who is pairing with who?" Wolt asked.

"Well, I was thinking of pairing you with Marcus, Lucina with Bors to protect Ellen, And Alan with Lance, and... me by myself." Roy responded, a bit crestfallen at the end.

"Roy? Why would you not want to pair up with anyone?" Lucina asked, a bit confused.

"Honestly, its because I'm worthless. I am the weakest person here. I would only get in the way." Roy said looking at the ground with a sorrowful expression.

"Roy...I would like to be paired up with you. You are better than you think, you have much to learn and in due time you might surpass even me." Lucina told him, hoping to lift his spirits.

"I suppose. But my decision is final. You will be paired with Bors."

"No Roy, Bors is a strong man, he can take care of himself and Ellen. I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. Besides, I promised to help you with your swordsmanship did I not?" Lucina insisted.

"Watch your tongue young woman! He is the leader of this army and you will do as he says!" Merlinus said indignantly.

"Calm down Merlinus, she is a Princess. Besides, I choose to accept her request. Not that it really mattered if I didn't, she would make me anyway." Roy said the last part with a smile.

"You have my gratitude Roy. Do not worry, I will protect you." Lucina said with confidence.

Roy smiled. "I never worried for a second Lucina."

"Thank you." Lucina saw the enemy soldiers advancing.

"The battle is upon us Roy! Give the signal!"

"Right! To arms my friends!"

o - o - o - o

 **A/n: Whew. Long chapter. I got kinda carried away. hopefully the later chapters can top this.**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME.**


	6. Speak from the heart

"*Huff* This sucks!" Roy said, slashing into an enemy lancer.

"Agreed...Careful Roy, these enemies are tougher than the bandits we encountered in Pherae." Lucina said, easily parrying a blow.

"Hah... I've noticed. Speaking of which, how many of them are there!?"

"I dunno Roy, why don't you ask them?" A voice said. Which Roy recognized was Wolt, sarcastic as ever.

"Wolt, Not now!" Roy's focus was waning as he dueled with a bandit.

"Lord Roy, I see someone fighting east of here. Should we assist?" Marcus asked while killing a soldier sneaking up on Wolt.

"Y-yeah. he may be part of the mercenaries my father hired. Wait a minute..."

Roy saw a pegasus knight fly towards him. He knew she wasn't an enemy though, her weapon was sheathed.

"Helloooo!" The rider yelled out.

"Wha-?" Roy barely jumped out of the way of a javelin thrown by an lancer while he was distracted. "Hey! Whoever you are, you should've picked a better time to talk with us!" Roy chastised the rider.

"Oops, my bad! So, are you the boss?" The blue haired pegasus knight asked as she took care of the threat.

"Yes, I suppose I am. What business do you have with me?" The young lord asked, aiming his sword downward.

"My name is Cynthia! I am travelling with this mercenary guy. Well, I'm not a mercenary per se. Temporary would be a better word." The young girl, Cynthia said.

"Ok...? So what is it you need?" Roy asked patiently.

"Right, so I was told to come to a red haired dude named Roy, so that must be you! Apparently us two work for you now, by the request of your father! Lucky you!" The rider grinned confidently.

"Right, I understand then, welcome aboa-" Roy almost finished but was cut off by an excited Lucina.

"Cynthia!? I-is that you!? Gods I can't believe it! You're safe!" Lucina ran over to Cynthia to give her a hug.

"Ack! Lucy, I missed you too! You didn't worry too much about us did ya?" Cynthia said, returning the hug."

"No, I knew you could take care of yourselves. Still though, I'm glad I see you're safe... Have you seen the others?" Lucina asked, slightly hopeful but knew the answer as soon as she saw Cynthia's frown.

"No... Sorry sis. I tried to look for them but I did not want to travel too far from Pherae. I only remembered _some_ things from the books the stupid maids made us read."

"It is alright, I didn't remember much either. Now, we must be going, we have a battle to fight." Lucina said, returning to face the remaining enemies east of them.

"You mean a battle to _win_? Lets go Lucy!" Cynthia said, more confidence showing.

Roy ran up to Lucina. He was quite curious about that exchange between Cynthia and her.

"So.. I know this is a bad time, but-"

"Apologies, I must explain later."

"Right. Sorry. Well then, shall we?"

She nodded and they jumped back into the fray. She told Roy she would like Cynthia to be close to her, so the three lords worked together and they made quick work of the remainder of the soldiers. Rudy was the only one left.

"Damn it! I had it all planned out.."

"It's over! Uh... You! Sorry, what's your name?" Wolt asked.

"Stupid boy! My name is Rude. I will be the death of you! Begone!" Rude charged with a thrust of his lance.

"Whoa! You're quick on your feet for an old man!" Wolt said, narrowly dodging the attack and backpedaling.

At that point, Dieck, the leader of the mercenaries, decided to battle him.

"Hm? You're the boss? Forgive me, I pictured you being intimidating. It appears I was mistaken."

"You little..! I will end you! For Bern!"

Dieck initiated his attack, throwing his blade in the air, jumping to catch it, and fell with a strike at Rude's neck. When It connected, blood was seeping out of his wound. It was a fatal blow.

"Hah... Greed..Only brings you... an awful fate..." The lord of the castle weezed out before he died.

"Damn! That is some skill you have! Who are you?" Wolt said, surprised at this man who looked to be a battle hardened soldier.

"If you must know, my name is Dieck. I am joining the Pherae army. Now if you'll excuse me, I must speak with this... Roy person." Dieck said, already walking off.

"Right, sure sure. Catch you later?" Wolt said, even though the words didn't reach him.

"...I think we'll be good friends."

 _Meanwhile..._

"Whew.. Hah... Oh man... Is that all of them?" Roy asked, completely out of breath. He was expending energy because his morale was boosted by having two other people fighting by his side.

"I believe so. Here, take a waterskin." Lucina offered.

"Thanks...So what happened to the Lord of the castle?" Roy asked as he surveyed the castle and found it was uninhabited from the gates.

"I took care of him. He wasn't much trouble." A masculine voice said behind them.

"And you are?" Roy asked.

"My name is Dieck. I am the leader of the mercenary group your father sent for." He replied, voice unreadable.

"I see. But where are your comrades?" Roy looked around and saw only his troops around the village.

"They were killed in battle. The girl on the Pegasus, Cynthia, offered to join. So I Complied. End of story." Dieck said with contempt, but directed at himself.

"I will be joining you shortly, meet me at the village." He said bluntly.

He then walked away without another word. ' _Yeah, he definitely needs some time.'_ Roy thought.

He shuddered. He didn't want to even imagine what losing a comrade would feel like.

"Master Roy! We have rescued a lady in the basement!" Merlinus said, gesturing to the castle.

"What!? Ah, That must be Ellen's mistress, call for Ellen and take us to her."

"Right, yes Master Roy."

"Lucina? Take Cynthia with the others, introduce her with everyone. And try to relax at the village. I'll be just a moment."

"Of course. Shall we be going Cynthia?"

"Yup! Lead the way!" The energetic pegasus knight gleefully replied.

Merlinus came back with Ellen then quickly led the way, where Wolt and Marcus were standing around.

"Roy! Good to see you. Come here, you're not gonna believe this!" Wolt said, somewhat awestruck.

"Believe what? Who is _she_?"

The girl released from the basement approached Roy and Ellen.

"Ah! Your highness!"

"Ellen? Is that you!? I'm so glad you are well!"

Ellen ran to her and gave the girl a hug.

"I did try my best to save you!"

"Thank you Ellen, I am safe because of you."

"Sister Ellen, I believe we should meet up with the others for now." Merlinus said, wanting Roy to hear the news.

"Right, we'll talk later your highness."

"Of course."

With that, only Wolt, Marcus, Roy, and the girl were left. Wolt and Marcus decided to take their leave. Roy was too until he was stopped by the mysterious young woman.

"May I ask your name? I am indebted to you."

"Roy. My name is Roy, son of Eliwood. And you are?"

"I...I am..." She hesitated slightly.

Now Roy was really curious.

"I am Guinevere."

"What!? What!? How?! Why?! That's impossible! You are the Princess of Bern!?"

She nodded her head. "Yes I am."

Roy took a second to gather his bearings. "So...First things first, you are indeed the Princess of Bern?"

"Yes. Though you may not believe me..."

"No, I think I'll take your word for it. Even if you weren't, I could tell from your dress and actions that you are someone of high social status..."

Roy paused, thinking of flaws in her statement of being the princess of Bern.

"What are your intentions? Ellen told us you were to meet with someone from the Lycia alliance, correct?" She nodded her head in confirmation. While Roy gave her a confused look.

"I want to find a peaceful way of ending the war. I wanted to speak with Lycia. I thought maybe I could find some solution."

"I see. But your brother started this war. Is it not in your power to stop it?"

Guinevere gave a frustrated sigh. "Gods I wish It was. I wouldn't care if he killed me for it, I just don't want anymore bloodshed!"

"..." Roy gave no response.

Guinevere spoke up again. "My apologies, I often let my emotions get the better of me..."

Roy cleared his throat. "No problem, but will you come with us to meet with the Lycia alliance Army? I want Lord Hector's opinion on this matter."

"You will take me? Truly?"

"Yes, of course. If there is a way to end this war without bloodshed, I think we should try, no matter how small the chance." Roy said confidently.

"Oh thank you! I am in your debt.

Roy waved his hand. "Don't worry about it. I think you should head with the others. Knowing Marcus, he will be right outside just in case." Roy said with a chuckle. "Go ahead and have him escort you."

"Of course. And thanks again."

With that, she took her leave while Roy processed this revelation.

Roy had to sit down for a moment.

o - o - o - o

Back at the village, there was absolute mayhem. This was due to two people: Wolt and Cynthia. When they were introduced, they found that they had a lot in common. They both loved justice, both acted childish, and both had antics like no other individual.

Except each other.

"Ha! It seems the mighty Wolt is too good for you Lady Cynthia!"

"No way! This time will be different!

They were competing based on the amount of times they did justice in 10 minutes and the person with the highest count wins.

"Crap... Only 234." Wolt said defeated.

"Serves you right! I got 562." Cynthia bragged.

"I see you two are getting along well." Roy said, approaching them.

"Well look who it is! Roy my boy! How's it going?" Wolt said.

Roy raised an eyebrow at that. "Anyway, its good you two are having fun. I just wanted to let you guys know we leave tomorrow. So enjoy yourselves."

Wolt was ecstatic. "Really!? That is awesome! You're the best!"

Cynthia was also elated. "You are quite heroic Roy! Wolt! let's go again!"

"You bet! See ya Roy!"

"Later you two!" Roy yelled back as they ran back to the town square.

Afterwards, Roy decided to look for the mercenary named Dieck.

o - o - o - o

After a little searching, he found Dieck at the fountain in the central area.

"Ah, you must be Dieck."

"Correct."

There was an awkward silence. Despite the tension, Roy decided to speak.

"Ahem.. Um, so can you tell me about yourself?" Roy asked.

"I was a pit-fighter a time ago."

Another awkward silence. This time, Roy decided to cut to the chase.

"Look, we will never make any progress if you don't try. I need to know if you're capable of following orders on the battlefield." Roy said courageously.

"I have nothing to say to you besides 'yes I will.'" Dieck responded.

"Ok, let me rephrase that. Can I trust you?"

"Your father hired me. If I wasn't trustworthy, he wouldn't have. "

"A fair point. I know you blame yourself for their deaths. I will give you some time to yourself to mourn."

"..." Dieck said nothing as Roy walked away.

Roy wanted to turn in but he really wanted to talk with Lucina.

o - o - o - o

Lucina was taking a walk around the village. Looking in wonder at the prosperous area. She had not seen such a place before. The people were happy, merchants were selling wares, and she heard men singing songs in the taverns. To her, it was one of the most amazing places she had ever laid eyes upon.

Eventually, she sat down on a hill, looking at the sunset and reveling at the sight.

She heard footsteps behind her, she made to stand and reach for her sword, but the voice made her stop.

"No worries, its just me." Roy said, knowing she hated surprises.

"Ah, Roy." Lucina said, sitting back down.

"Yep...How are you doing Lucina?"

"Fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Knowing this was going nowhere, Roy decided to change topics.

"So, Cynthia is your sister, correct?"

"Correct."

"...Ok, Lucina. What is the matter?"

"What?"

"You are not very talkative, you refuse to look at me, and you seem sad.. Like something is eating at you. Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything Lucina."

"..." Lucina was lost in thought. She was actually quite comfortable around Roy. She was thinking of what to tell him.

"Listen, I'm alright with you not telling me, but please don't keep this bottled up for a long time. You have been through so much in so little time that you need all of the support you can get." Roy said worried.

Lucina's breath hitched, nearly sobbing.

"...I keep having nightmares about my past, and the present. My friends... We all got separated. If they died, I would never... I-I would never forgive myself." Lucina said, on the verge of tears.

"I miss my parents, my home, my life...Grima took that away from me. I hate him more than anything else. When he took away our ability to time travel, I realize that I will never have any of that back." Lucina said, tears falling from her cheeks.

"..." Roy said nothing, and took a seat next to her on the grass.

Lucina was now crying. She took him into an embrace and held on to him for dear life.

Roy had no other response but to hug back. No words needed to be spoken. He looked at the sunset. A pang of sympathy struck him hard.

Eventually, after a while, Lucina stopped crying and found solace in his arms. She somehow managed to fall asleep.

Roy, realizing this, decided to take her to her room in an inn the army was staying at. He carried her bridal style, trying his hardest not to wake her.

o - o - o - o

When they reached her room, he gently set her on her bed. It wasn't too cold, so there was no need to put on a blanket. He also did not want to attempt to remove her armor for obvious reasons.

Roy glanced at Lucina's face. What was usually stoic and serious was now calm and peaceful. His heart skipped a beat. ' _She looks kinda... Cute.'_ Immediately he stopped himself from continuing that thought any further.

' _I wish there was someway I could help her. Someway I could tell her that everything is ok, And tell her that everything will be ok.'_ Roy walked to his room, exhausted from today's events.

He instantly fell asleep.

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: I'm so sorry. I cannot write fluff.**

 **Everyone I talked to said I was crazy for liking LucinaxRoy. To that I say: Blasphemy! Yeah, sorry, but that is what this is now. NO REGRETS.**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	7. Araphen

The next morning, the Pherae army woke up early to finally march to Araphen. Marcus was the one who woke up Roy, who was sleeping soundly.

"Lord Roy. It would be best if you woke up now." The old Paladin said.

"Mmm... No I didn't eat the pancakes, Wolt... it was probably Lillina..."

"Lord Roy!"

"Gah! Wuzzat!? Huh?" He looked to a stoic Marcus. "Oh, good morning Marcus." Roy muttered, still half asleep.

"Lord Roy, we must be going."

Roy yawned. "Of course, rally the troops..."

"Certainly." Marcus left the room and Roy was attempting to wake from his drowsiness.

"Ugh..." Roy groaned. It was going to be a long day.

o - o - o - o

Lucina was already awake due to her peculiar sleeping patterns. She was training in a field outside of town. She was simply practicing on an invisible opponent until she was approached by Marcus, who was on his steed.

"Milady, Lord Roy has called for us. You will have to wrap up your training for now and join us." Marcus said.

"Yes of course." Lucina stiffly replied.

As Marcus departed, Lucina's mind drifted back to what happened last night with the young lord.

The scars from her past began to gradually heal. She thought she should apologize and thank him for what he did.

She sheathed Falchion and walked back into the village.

o - o - o - o

"Merlinus..." Roy said, Eyeing the weapons at the shops.

"Hm? Ah, greetings Master Roy. How may I be of service to you?"

"I want you..." Roy stumbled a bit, still trying to fully wake. "..To get weapons that we are low on.." Roy handed him a list he made the day before.

"Right away milord." Merlinus hurried in the shop.

Afterwards, Roy decided to buy more medical supplies from another shop. He also needed to resupply the army's water supplies.

He ran into his best friend, who was buying pancakes for the army as breakfast.

"Ah, Roy! How are you doing this morning? ...Hey, you ok? You look dead on your feet!" Wolt said with concern.

Roy rubbed his eyes and yawned. "I'm fine Wolt...I just hate being woken by someone else." He mumbled.

Wolt looked unconvinced. "I see. Perhaps you should delay the march?"

Roy responded with a dumbfounded look. "Why on earth would I do that? I should not waste anymore time than we already have!"

Wolt was stoic. "We would not make any progress anyway if our leader is low on energy."

"Enough Wolt... I have made my decision. Hurry and eat and we can meet in the command tent. We have work to do."

"If you say so... I'll see ya later Roy." Wolt gave him one last concerned glance then he walked away to the mess tent.

Roy gave another sigh as he recalled what he said to Wolt about the meeting planned in the command tent. It was indeed going to be a long day.

Roy briefly forgot why he was in the shop, but once he remembered, he was gone as quickly as he had entered.

o - o - o - o

Roy just finished sorting through the army's inventory, he had enough time to go over to the fountain to splash water on his face before going over to the command tent Marcus had set up on a hill near the village as to not attract unneeded attention in the town.

It was rather boring and unnecessary in Roy's opinion, but he dismissed those thoughts, this was for the army, not him.

 _'If only we had better scouts... Alan and Lance just aren't cutting it. maybe Cynthia?'_

Him, Lucina, Guinevere, Wolt, Marcus, and Merlinus were all present. They were they people who were most important to the war effort in his opinion. Even though he thought of the whole army as equals, he had to think about the facts and not his personal feelings.

They all had important roles to play. Lucina, with her unmatched swordplay, Guinevere, the princess of Bern, who was important for obvious reasons, Wolt, with his knowledge of the geography of the entirety of Elibe, Marcus, with his experience in battle and effectiveness for training new recruits, Merlinus, who stored inventory, had connections with nobles, and was great at negotiating.

Lastly, there was himself. He was the leader of the army. As Marcus had told him, he would supply the tactics for battle, stabilize the morale of the army, have recruits go through training, form the hunting crew and _he_ would have to go on hunts, he will have to supply and sort the weapons, items, draft marching plans, send out scouts, and have his soldiers fight and possibly die for him.

He needed to be strong. He had to be the brawns, the brains, and the heart behind the whole army.

He would not allow a single one of his comrades die.

"So, we head to Araphen through a path northeast of here. There are some forests, Plantlife, and plenty of game, any questions?" Wolt said, pointing at specific areas on the map of Elibe.

"If there are no further questions, I will explain what there is to be done in Araphen." Roy began.

Roy cleared his throat. "We plan to meet up with Lord Hector. He is the leader of the Lycia Alliance Army and we will join forces. Once we do, we will await for further orders from Lord Hector. Of which concern our next move against Bern. That is all there is to it."

 _'And hopefully all these damn responsibilities I might have will be lightened.'_ Roy mentally added.

The group then heard a rustling outside and they froze, not making a sound. Roy decided to investigate but before he did, there was knocking on the stakes. Roy reluctantly opened the tent flaps.

"Lord Roy! I come bearing Ill news!" A young messenger no older than Roy himself said in a rush.

"What happened!?" Roy said seeing he was with the Lycia Alliance due to his armor being marked with the symbol.

"Bern has a trio of elite generals, they call themselves the Three Dragon Lords. Two of which, General Narshen and Brenya, have attacked castle Araphen and nearly decimated the Lycia Alliance Army!"

Roy could not breathe. And neither could anyone else in the room.

Lucina certainly had not expected this. She remembered the legend of Lord Hector being cursed to die on the battlefield, but she did not know it happened so soon in the war against Bern.

"Th-that...No! How could this happen?!" Roy said with shock.

Morale had plummeted a great deal. One of their greatest assets had been destroyed.

Roy was struggling to keep from breaking down, he had failed Hector, Eliwood, and Lilina.

' _Lilina... Gods, how can I tell her that her father might have been killed because I was too late? I failed them, and the Lycia Alliance.. Should we skip travelling to Araphen?_ _No... There must be survivors. We could at least save someone. And Lord Hector wouldn't go down without a fight.'_

"...Gather the troops. We head to Araphen now." Roy said with palpable determination.

"What!? Lord Roy, did you not hear him? The Dragon Lords attacked castle Araphen! If they could not win, how could we?" Merlinus said, appalled at his master's decision.

"That is what they will be expecting. We should charge now, they will not waste their time with stragglers, which are all they would expect. They will travel elsewhere, they obviously have more important things to do. We could rescue survivors too. The messenger said 'nearly decimated' right? So let's go!"

"Who knows, Roy? Maybe bushy beard is still alive too! He never goes down without a fight!" Wolt said, finding Roy's determination contagious.

"...Kindly do not call him that Sir Wolt. Regardless, I understand Master Roy."

"Indeed, we cannot give up now. We can strike when the iron's hot." Marcus said.

"..." Guinevere was silent. She did not like seeing her people killed, or bloodshed in general.

' _...Roy reminds me of myself.. Giving hope to others when there may be no more hope to give.'_ Lucina thought wistfully. Though she too stayed silent.

"Right then, this concludes our meeting. As for you, sir, you are dismissed." Roy said, looking to the messenger.

The man bowed then scurried off into the village.

As everyone excused themselves from the tent, only two had stayed.

Roy was thinking about possible scenarios of the upcoming battle, while Lucina wanted to talk to him.

"Roy, may I have a word?" Lucina asked.

"Oh, Lucina. Sorry, you were rather quiet. What can I do for you?" Roy said tiredly.

"I just wanted to thank you." She said to him, and he gave a slightly confused look.

"Thank me? Whatever for?"

"For helping me deal with my past. Last night was... Comforting. To say the least. You have my gratitude." Lucina said sincerely.

"Oh that? That was nothing. I'm glad I could help." Roy said timidly.

"I also wanted to apologize." Lucina looked to the ground.

"Heh, now you want to _apologize?_ What could you have possibly done that you should apologize for?" Roy said with a smile.

"I am sorry for wasting your time. You must have had better things to do than worry about my troubles. I should have sorted this out myself." Lucina said, slightly ashamed of herself.

"Nonsense, it is my duty to care for the army's well-being. You are no exception. I care a great deal about you, even though we met only a few days ago. I think of you as a good friend." Roy said with honesty.

"Roy... I..."

"Lucina, you have been through so much. If anyone deserves some help, it is you. I will always lend an ear. Know that.

Then it happened. She gave a warm, genuine smile. It was hard to get her to smile, but when she did, it was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen.

Roy quickly looked away with a blush.

"Hm? Is something the matter, Roy?" Lucina asked with concern.

"Ah, um... N-no nothing is wrong. I am fine, no need to worry."

"Oh? W-well if you're certain. Thank you Roy, I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I must be going Roy, I will see you soon. Farewell."

"Y-yeah, farewell Lucina." Roy stuttered.

Lucina walked out the tent and Roy was left debating his next move. But not before chastising himself.

Roy gave a sigh. "...Dammit...That girl..."

Roy was confused as to why his heart was racing so fast. He did his best to ignore it though and decided to join the others and finally prepare to march.

o - o - o - o

 _In Araphen..._

A lady was talking with King Zephiel about their current status.

"Your Majesty, we have captured the enemy leader." She said to him.

"Hmph. Is that so? Bring him before me." Zephiel said, eager to meet the man, but did not show it.

The lady snapped her fingers and two soldiers came with a severely injured Hector.

Hector gasped for breath. He caught sight of Zephiel. "You...You are Zephiel, the King of Bern!... Damn you!"

Zephiel gave a small smile. "Ah, Lord Hector. I cannot help but praise your ability of putting up such a good fight against not one, but two of our Dragon Lords! I suppose they do not call you the leader of the Lycia Alliance for nothing." Zephiel said, face returning to his usual unnerving stoic expression.

"But, you were not good enough... Pray while you can, for your end is near."

Hector looked up from the ground. "B-but Why?"

"Hm? Why what?"

"Bern and Lycia were always on good terms with each other. Even when you took the throne, we always paid our respects towards Bern..." Hector wheezed out.

"What? Respect? Don't make me laugh, Lycia... No the entirety of Elibe must go under my rule. That is the only way to liberate this world." Zephiel said with a glare.

"I lack the time to be worrying about trivial matters such as respect." Zephiel spat out.

"What? Liberate...This world?" Hector asked, completely confused.

"Hmph. It is of no importance to you. You will die anyway. Take him away! Throw Lord Hector in the dungeon!" Zephiel told the two soldiers.

"Yes sir!" The two said simultaneously.

The lady who was silent throughout the exchange, turned to Zephiel. "Your Majesty, I will now return to the Sacae Plains."

Zephiel looked back to her. "Very well, try not to get killed."

"...One more thing before I take my leave your Majesty. I beg your pardon, but I do not think it is such a good idea to put too much trust into sinister people." She said.

"...Do you mean Idoun?" Zephiel asked, thoughtfully.

"Yes. Our soldiers call her the 'Dark Priestess' and do not appove of her presence." She paused. "I understand that she is a Shaman with great powers, but..."

Zephiel gave her a blank stare, which made her slightly uncomfortable.

He then spoke. "Brenya, do you not have faith in me?"

She slightly recoiled, shocked. "What!? Of course I do your Majesty! It's just that..."

Zephiel sighed. "Then all you do is follow my orders. Understood?"

Brenya shifted nervously. "Yes. I understand... I will do whatever his Majesty wishes. My apologies your Majesty, I must bid you farewell."

"Hmph."

She then flew away from Araphen on her wyvern, out to the Sacae Plains.

Zephiel let out a menacing chuckle. "'Do you not have faith in me?' Heh, dear, dear, the things I say sometimes..."

 _Meanwhile..._

After the long and grueling march, they met up with a thief named Chad. He told Roy of the castle and what he expected from his recon. He also gave them news that was music to their ears.

"Lord Hector is alive!?" Roy exclaimed with joy.

"One hundred percent certain. I saw Bern's soldiers take him in the castle some time ago." Chad said.

"Er... exactly how long ago are we talking?" Roy asked, afraid of the answer.

"Oh, about a couple minutes ago." Chad answered quickly.

Roy gave a slight sigh of relief. _'Thank the gods... But there's no time to rest.'_

"Chad, was it? Do you know the inside of castle Araphen well?" Roy asked.

"I guess you could say that, yeah... Wait, are you guys planning on saving Lord Hector?" Chad asked bewildered.

"I don't think I would try that if I were you. Most of the important soldiers are gone, but there are still a decent number of soldiers in the castle. It would be suicide to charge them!"

"Yes, that may be so. But, we cannot afford to lose Lord Hector. Their main forces are gone, right? Well, now we have a chance to win." Roy said with determination.

"Hmm. You sure do have guts. I guess I'll tag along. Plus, I can show you around the castle to better increase your chances." Chad said with a grin.

"Huh? No no, don't feel obligated to do so in the slightest! But if you explain what the interior looks like, that will prove useful." Roy said, not wanting to force him into battle.

"...I want revenge against Bern. I _will_ go with you." Chad uttered.

Roy sighed. "Fine... If you truly want to join. I'm counting on you."

Chad's expression brightened. "Heh! Of course! Leave locked chests and doors to me!" Chad then left to join with the rest of the army outside the castle, who were concealed well enough as to not be spotted.

Roy was about to follow until he was stopped by Guinevere.

"...Master Roy, may I speak with you for a second?"

Roy nodded. "Sure. What is it you need milady?"

"I-I beg your forgiveness of my brother's doings. I didn't think he would invade Lycia so soon." Guinevere said, mood dour.

Roy sighed yet again. "Milady, there is no point in dwelling over this. It was out of your control, you wouldn't be able to predict this. No one could've. Don't blame yourself. Lycia is still intact though so we have a chance to retaliate. If we could get our leader, Lord Hector, out of harm's way, we can unite Lycia and strike!" Roy spoke.

"We must recapture Castle Araphen, for both our sakes... And for Lilina's sake..." He said, mostly to himself, trying to grasp on to hope.

"..." The Princess was silent.

"Right then, you should get to safety." Roy said, not wanting her to get hurt.

"...Yes, of course. Farewell lord Roy." She said weakly.

"Farewell..." He said, thinking about the battle positions while leaving the tent, eyes squinting from the sunlight.

 _'Let's hope my tactics work.'_ He thought to himself. He had spent the entirety of last night forming a plan. He was very weary, but duty had demanded him to persevere.

Roy was having difficulties staying awake, but he had splashed water on himself using a water skin. He knew it was a waste, but he needed to wake up and there was no time to gather water from a water source. If there was one anyway.

 _'Can I really do this? What if someone dies? Lord Hector? My comrades? What if Chad was wrong and the bulk of the army hadn't left? What if King Zephiel himself is here?'_

He shuddered. He didn't even want to think about that.

 _'Damn it. I can't doubt myself like this... I must be strong. We can do this, I know it... Gods, how did Father handle this? He had Lord Hector and Lady Lyn I suppose.'_ He needed someone to talk to that has been in a similar situation. His thoughts turned to Lucina.

 _'What about Lucina? I have no idea. Maybe I could ask her for help? Ah, but she has already been through so much.'_ He was slightly panicking until he remembered who exactly Lucina was.

She was an amazing swordsman. She had easily bested him and their foes. Even with the current situation, he felt secure about the battle with Lucina by his side.

 _'That's right! We have Lucina! She will make sure nobody dies. Especially Lord Hector. And her sister! Her sister can probably defeat Marcus! We can do this, I know it!'_ He thought, coming to a realization.

Reassured and determined by the thought of those two, and what he had to lose, he immediately set out for the battlefield.

o - o - o - o

"Well? What have we got?" Roy asked Cynthia and Chad, who scouted the area.

"A few Lancers outside here and the entrance, some by the village, and Lancers and a bowman near the orphanage. That is all we know for now until we head inside." Cynthia answered.

"Alright... My friends! We recapture Castle Araphen today! Prepare yourselves for battle! Lord Hector will be rescued! To arms!" Roy said with determination. Wanting to improve morale, which he succeeded in doing.

His plan was to draw them out from the outside to battle them. Cynthia and Wolt paired up to protect the village on the right, Dieck and Marcus were paired up to go to the Orphanage north of there, Chad would mostly hang back and wait to unlock doors and chests, and Lucina and Roy paired up to bait out the enemies in the castle into their combined swordsmanship.

"Ready, partner?" Roy asked Lucina.

"Of course, lead the way." Lucina told him with determination of her own.

"Remember: aim for the flaws in their defences and counterattack as quickly as possible, dodge attacks by paying close attention to their hand positioning, and don't be reckless." Lucina lectured.

"Got it. It is a shame I am not as quick as you." Roy said, smiling.

"Nonsense, your footwork is actually impressive. You will surpass me in due time. For now, do not worry. I've got your back." Lucina said.

"Likewise." Roy said as the first soldier ran up to them.

o - o - o - o

Dieck and Marcus were heading to the Orphanage. They killed the enemies outside the orphanage and paid a visit to the building. They found a boy named Lugh, he was a mage that wanted to prove himself in battle.

Marcus and Dieck had not talked with each other, only when warning of an enemy approach. Once they found Lugh, they decided to head back to The entrance of the castle.

o - o - o - o

"Wolt, behind you!" Cynthia warned.

"On it!" Wolt swiftly turned, nocked an arrow, and let it fly into the soldier' skull.

"Wolt, that is all for now. Wait for me! I'm going into the village!" Cynthia told him after she checked their surroundings on her pegasus.

"Alright, make it quick, we don't want to keep Roy and your sister waiting too long." Wolt told her back as she entered the village.

Talking with the villagers, she said they were taking care of Bern and currently trying to recapture Araphen, and they rewarded her with money, food, and staves. She called over Merlinus and he graciously stored the supplies.

Cynthia regrouped with Wolt, who was taking a breather next to a tree.

"Ah, Cynthia. You ready?" Wolt asked, strength returning to his body.

"Of course! Let's do this!" Cynthia replied energetically.

o - o - o - o

"On your left! Focus Roy, everyone has a weakness!" Lucina yelled to Roy.

"Hnng! I think... Hah! That I am making progress... Hyah!" Roy said, dueling and finishing off a Lancer.

"Try not to get overconfident, mistakes cost lives. We cannot afford that." Lucina replied as she parried a blow and gave a swift counterattack.

"Oh don't worry, I wasn't!" Roy said, sidestepping a javelin thrown at him. It grazed his leg, which was now slightly bleeding, but was not anything too serious.

"Gah... Damn." Roy ran up to the soldier since he was open and struck his neck, decapitating him.

Killing still almost made him want to vomit. It never did get any easier, and he supposed that it never will.

"Roy, the others are near!" Lucina called to him, pointing at the entrance.

"Great! Let's regroup with them!" Roy replied.

"Understood."

o - o - o - o

Zephiel was in the throne room speaking to Narshen, when suddenly, he heard men shouting and screaming.

"Narshen! What is causing all that noise?!" Zephiel asked one of his Dragon Lords, Narshen.

"Probably what's left of the enemy trying to put up a fight in their last hope." He responded.

A mysterious hooded girl came up to Zephiel. "Your Highness, shall we use the Dragons?" She asked.

Narshen quickly said "No, I do not wish to put the Dark Priestess through any trouble. Do not worry, we can handle them by ourselves."

"..." The Dark Priestess was silent.

Zephiel finally spoke. "Not this time, Idoun. Send the Dragons back to Bern, as we planned."

"...Yes, if his Highness wishes it to be so." The girl named Idoun replied.

Zephiel spoke to Narshen. "I will be off to Bern soon as well. I leave Lycia in your hands."

"...What shall I do with the remaining forces of the Lycia Army?" Narshen asked him.

"Kill all those who stand against us." Zephiel said bluntly.

"Including women and children?" Narshen questioned.

"Of course. Annihilate them so that they will not even think about facing us." Zephiel answered with little emotion showing.

"You can count on me sire. Hehehe..." Narshen said, giving a dark chuckle.

Zephiel left Araphen to travel to Bern. Narshen then turned to his comrade, Slater, to speak with him.

"Hmph. I wonder what his Majesty sees in that Idoun girl...Anyway, I think I will be going as well. Slater, I am trusting this castle with you." Narshen told him.

"I see. Will you be leaving _now?_ " Slater asked.

"Yes...One of the Marquesses who turned against Lycia has a special gift for me. He says it is a girl from Etrurian nobility or something... Hehehe." Narshen said.

"Etrurian? She must be very beautiful then!" Slater commented.

Narshen looked at him in thought. "Yes, the marquess tells me she is young, but very beautiful."

"I would be looking forward to it if I were you, sir. Please be careful on your way there." Slater said solicitously.

"You be careful too Slater, don't you dare get defeated by the remainders of Lycia's army! If you do, I will personally tear you apart." Narshen threatened.

Slater recoiled. "..Have mercy, sir!"

"Hahahaha..!" Narshen chuckled his signature dark chuckle, then flew off on his wyvern.

"Hmph, stupid bastard. I'll show him!"

o - o - o - o

"I hear horses! Did they bring out reinforcements?" Wolt asked.

"Maybe, keep your eyes peeled." Marcus told him.

The Pheraean army was obliterating any foe in their path because of their synchronization with their respective partners.

Chad was following close behind, prepared to open chests or warn them that enemies are approaching.

Roy and Lucina worked together seamlessly. Roy was adapting to Lucina's fighting style and even managed to mimic it to a degree. He found it was quite useful against foes like these. And had easily defeated an armor knight with his Rapier and superior speed.

Cynthia and Wolt were not too far behind, as they covered their respective weaknesses, like how Cynthia is to Lucina, only they adapted much quicker due to their weapon choices.

Marcus and Dieck worked rather good as well. Marcus would circle around the enemy with his horse to distract them, and Dieck used brute force to kill them. Marcus was also an expert at landing surprise attacks from on top of his steed due to years of experience and diligence.

As the group was heading to the final rooms, Roy ordered Wolt and Cynthia to accompany Chad in the hallway stretching south, as he saw the throne room was east. Lucina, Marcus, Dieck, and himself were focusing on defeating the leader.

"I-I won't lose. If I don't win...! No!!" Slater said with panic showing.

Lucina and Roy double teamed Slater, who was quickly overwhelmed.

Roy thrusted with his rapier and Lucina gave him heavy, quick blows to his armor. Soon, he was on the ground slowly bleeding out.

"Hah...At least... I don't die by Sir Narshen..." Slater choked out. Then he died.

Roy seized the throne and rallied the troops. Merlinus and Chad poked around the castle, searching for survivors. Until they found something, or rather, someone that shocked them.

"Master Roy!" Merlinus said, running towards him. "We have found Lord Hector in the dungeon!"

"What!? Is he okay!?" Roy said, with fear and excitement.

Merlinus wore a somber expression. "He is severely wounded."

At that point, Hector himself limped to Roy, hoping to talk with him.

"R-Roy.."

Roy let out a gasp and had a frightened expression.

"Lord Hector! Gods, what a terrible wound! W-we have to treat it right away! Ellen! Someone get Ellen right now!!" Roy said, panicking.

Hector shook his head. "No... Don't bother, I won't live much longer."

"B-but... I must... Lord Hector..." Roy said, eyes watering.

"I was taken by surprise.." He let out a somber chuckle, which was short lived as the pain made it almost unbearable. "I never would have guessed that Bern had resurrected the Dragons!"

Roy's blood ran cold. "D-Dragons!?"

Hector nodded with melancholy. "Indeed... The very same from those stories we heard as children."

"The Scouring."

"Precisely."

"...How did Bern use the Dragons?" Roy thought, utterly perplexed.

"I have no idea.. But.. The Dragons had control of what is now Bern in the past. And Hartmut, one of the Eight Heroes... Is the founder of Bern... Perhaps the reason... Lies... There..." Hector let out a violent cough.

"No! Lord Hector!" Roy said, snapping back to the situation they were in.

"Roy!... You must go to Ostia..! You must... Lead what is left of the Lycia Alliance Army... Instead of me.."

"M-me? But... I can barely handle taking control of Pherae's military. How can I..." Roy trailed off with doubt.

"You sell yourself short... I know your father... If anyone's kids were going to be strong, it's his... Besides... In Ostia...There are weapons that are made for killing Dragons..." Hector said, slowly losing conciousness.

"Weapons!? How did...?" Roy asked, wondering why such weapons existed. But he wasn't complaining.

"I have already told this to Lilina... Please take care of her too... Please... give... her support..." Hector said, close to his dying breath.

"Lord Hector...! Of course..." Roy said, tears falling from his cheeks.

"...Oh Lilina... What I... Would give... To see your face... One Last... Time..." Hector said, taking his final breath.

And he passed away, a legend that fought with the best to save the world. Hector, Marquess of Ostia, Eliwood's best friend, and the father of Lilina, had died on the battlefield, as was the curse of wielding Armads.

"NO!! LORD HECTOR!!!" Roy said, finding it hard to believe that this had happened.

"DAMMIT!! If only I had come sooner! Just a day earlier, he would have been alive!! It's all my fault!!" Roy yelled out, dropping to his knees.

Lucina ran to Roy immediately upon hearing the shouts.

"Roy!! Are you... Wh-what is..?" Lucina ran to him, hearing the screams, and upon seeing Hector, knew what happened.

"..Roy..." Lucina sheathed Falchion and approached him.

"L-Lucina..." Roy mumbled through his sobbing.

"I... I failed them, Lucina. My father, Lilina, and Lord Hector... I should have been quicker! Because of me, he died! What am I going to say to my father Lucina? What am I going to tell... Lilina... Oh g-gods, Lilina..." Roy attempted to wipe the tears, but they kept falling.

"Roy... My apologies, I am not good at this, but what happened was not your fault." Lucina tried, but Roy simply scoffed.

"Wait, I'm not done. You cannot blame yourself for something out of your control. Trust me, I have been through the same thing. The people that died for me... I regretted not being strong enough to protect them. But I know sacrifices must be made, this is war after all." She paused, wanting what she told him to sink in.

"..." He had ceased sobbing, but was silent.

"I know that in their position, I would have done the same thing. Too many people die, you feel as if you could have done better, but there is no use dwelling on it... Sometimes, you just have to move on..." Lucina said, recalling the lessons she had learned from her horrible world.

"...I see. Thank you Lucina. This has helped. I apologize for my behavior... Heh, I am getting some déja vu." He said, smiling.

Lucina gave a soft laugh and Roy's heartbeat skyrocketed. He then remembered what Hector had told him about leading the Lycia Alliance and his melancholic expression returned.

"But... How can I lead the Lycia Alliance? It must be a lot of work... I don't know..."

Lucina put a hand on his shoulder.

"I had to take command of an army of my own in my world... I wasn't a very good tactician, but I tried my best to spread hope. Perhaps you could let me help shoulder the workload. We need you in top condition too." Lucina offered.

"...Maybe. I'll think about it. Right now, there is nothing I want more than to hit the hay. Go ahead and enjoy yourself for now." Roy looked towards the sunset. "The sun is going down, we should leave for Ostia in the morning."

"Understood." She walked closer to him. "If you ever need to talk with someone, I am willing to listen. Do not be afraid to ask, I will help you." Lucina said, somewhat reluctantly but cast those feelings aside.

"Thank you Lucina, that means a lot to me" Roy gave a genuine smile.

This time, it was Lucina's turn to look away with a blush.

"Hey, you okay?" Roy asked with worry.

"Y-yes. If you'll excuse me, I will be going to train with Cynthia now. Farewell Roy." She said quickly.

"Um.. Sure, I'll see you later." Roy said, a bit confused, but shrugged it off.

 _'What was that all about?'_ Lucina thought. She had no idea what she was feeling, but it was peculiar. It felt nice.

She ignored it and went to talk with Cynthia.

o - o - o - o

Roy was absolutely exhausted. He went to his tent Marcus had set up for him. He somehow managed to set up everyone else's. Roy supposed that was just how diligent he was.

Everyone else was at the village enjoying themselves. Merlinus suggested he should be escorted, but Roy would have none of that. There was no way any bandits would be around the area, so he went to get some shuteye.

He was about to take his armor off until he heard rustling outside.

Roy froze, but decided to investigate.

He stepped outside and looked for the source of the noise and found a weird man, hunched over carrying an axe. Roy slowly approached.

"Sir?" He asked, slightly disturbed at his strange posture.

The man looked at him with red glowing eyes. He charged at Roy with an animalistic growl.

"What!?" Roy rolled out of the way of his strike and counterattacked at his torso, as Lucina had taught him. He thought his opponent was finished and let his guard down.

But the man was still alive, and swung wildly at Roy and cut him deep across his leg. Lots of blood was seeping from the wound.

"Ngh! What the hell _are_ you!?" He said, struggling against this inhuman opponent.

Roy managed to slice his head clean off with an iron blade. Then what happened shocked him; The man had dissolved into a black substance, then vanished.

His mind was racing, this seemed familiar somehow.

Then it hit him. _'This... Is this the creature Lucina told me about?'_ He remembered her description of them.

 _'Tall, lumbering creatures.'_ She had said.

 _'They strike hard and without reason.'_ Sweat dropped from his headband.

 _'We called them...'_

"Risen..." Roy said, a chill running up his spine.

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: Yes. So, a few things here.**

 **Lucina is 16 in this story and Roy is still 15. Personally, I believe that Lucina was 16 pre time travel.**

 **There are too many damn characters in fe6, so forgive me if I don't characterize some, or just flat out ignore some. As a note, the future children will be fleshed out. Count on it.**

 **Don't like this ship? Well, I have one thing to say to you; at least this isn't LucinaxSpiderman.**

 **Lastly, the day I am posting this is September 21st.**

 **See ya!**

 **DO YOU REMEMBER**


	8. Regret

Roy bolted upwards from his bed.

"Gah! Ow..." He thought last night was a nightmare, but upon feeling his leg wound, he knew it wasn't.

"Good, you're awake." A voice said.

"Who-" Roy started but was cut off.

"Wolt. Now let's cut to the chase, what were you doing last night?" Wolt said, sounding rather angry.

"I-I was attacked by a creature." Roy quickly said, not wanting to get on Wolt's bad side.

"Not funny, Roy. This is serious. Now tell me, what did you do last night!?" Wolt said, having enough of his nonsense.

"I'm telling the truth! I have never been more serious!" Roy said, indignantly.

Wolt gave him a glare, which soon disappeared and he sighed. "Sorry Roy... Its just that... You could have died out there! I-if nobody saw you, you would have bled out! And I couldn't take that... We already lost bushy beard... I don't want to lose my best friend."

"Wolt..." Roy said. _'I must have passed out...'_

Wolt cleared his throat. "I must be going, we are going to have a meeting. Also, I promised Cynthia I would spar with her."

Wolt facepalmed. "What the hell was I thinking?" Wolt let out a lighthearted laugh which Roy returned.

Wolt waved goodbye and took his leave.

 _'Wait, they're going to have a meeting? Do they expect me to sit here and do nothing?'_ Roy thought, appalled that they would start a meeting without him.

Roy heard footsteps outside the tent. Another visitor came to see him.

Unfortunately for him, it was Lucina.

"L-Lucina..." How could he tell her about what had happened?

"Roy, how are you faring?" She asked with palpable concern.

"Um... Fine I guess, but..." Roy looked to her face and was met with a frightened expression.

"That creature you saw... What did it look like?" She asked, fear completely taking over.

"...So you _did_ hear... I think it was... A Risen, Lucina." Roy said very reluctantly.

She looked like she just received the news that her parents and the other Shepherds were killed in battle all over again.

"N-no... You must be mistaken!!" Lucina said in denial.

"It had a dark body, red glowing eyes, and when I killed it, it dissolved into nothingness." Roy said, despising crushing her hope.

"No! This cannot be, I-I... Have I brought destruction to this world too...?" Lucina said, barely more than a whisper.

"You have not! We can find a way to win! We have no choice." Roy said optimistically.

"R-Roy... If they are here... Is Grima here too?" Lucina asked in despair.

"I... I don't know. I have no idea..." Roy said, slowly losing hope.

Lucina tried to keep a straight face, but was unable to do so, as the scars from her world were reopening and the memories kept flooding back.

"Forgive me Lord Roy, I may need some time alone." Without waiting for a response, she left the medical tent.

"Lucina! Wait!" Roy said, but stopped. What could he possibly say that could make this situation any better?

Deciding to let her be for the moment, he wanted to go to the command tent. He attempted to get up from his cot, and succeeded.

He soon found out that his wound was worse than he thought.

The bandage ran from his thigh all they way down to his ankle. The Risen had a clean cut. It hurt. Really bad.

' _Ngh... I can... Barely walk..."_ He set his eyes on the blade next to his bed. It would be perfect to use as a makeshift crutch he assumed.

He was somewhat correct.

Once he attempted to use it, he found it was better, but there was risk of him falling if he didn't stick the blade into the ground. Which was another problem.

He was in a tent.

Roy limped his way outside, heading towards the command tent. Upon exiting, he got a wave of vertigo. He assumed he only got a couple hours of sleep, but he came tumbling down all the same.

Roy hissed in pain. His leg was bleeding again. He fixed the bandages, and with renewed determination, vowed to make it to the command tent even if he had to crawl.

Once he made it there, he took out his map, and started to plan the army's next move. Until he heard a rather annoyed Ellen enter the tent.

"Hey! You're not supposed to be in here! Everyone was worried sick about you and you walk out, reopening your wound, and worrying everyone _again_!" Ellen said indignantly.

"Who else will do this, Ellen!? It is my job, my responsibility, to keep everyone safe. If I failed you guys... Just like I did with Lord Hector... I wouldn't forgive myself!" Roy snapped.

"I-I'm sorry, Ellen. I didn't mean to..."

"You done? Good, now let's get your ass out of here." Ellen said with no emotion.

"Huh?" Roy thought she would be more angry.

"Did you not hear me? I said: let's get your ass out of here! Come on, let's go!" Ellen offered her shoulder.

"B-but I must-"

"Forget it, there is no need. We have Marcus and Lucina. They are obviously good leaders with experience. They can plan our next move."

"But who will check the-" Roy was cut off once again.

"Inventory? Wolt, Cynthia, literally anyone in this army." Ellen responded.

Roy frowned. "I see. So when will my wounds heal?"

"Give it about two hours and it will fully heal." Ellen responded.

"Now come on, Roy. We should get you back to the medical tent."

"..." Roy said nothing, but allowed her to help him to the med tent.

Roy grinned slightly. ' _When did I let people talk to me this way? Maybe I should be more strict...?_

o - o - o - o

Ellen wasn't telling the whole truth. The wound would not heal in two hours. That was a lie to get him back in the tent. In actuality, it would take two days to completely heal.

He was hit by an axe that was covered in poison, and it needed time to heal before he could do anything taxing.

But Roy was in bed now, and with him out of commission at the moment, everyone else had to take care of his responsibilities as well as their own.

"So, Roy said we are heading to Ostia, correct?" Wolt asked, pointing to Ostia on the map.

The group was currently in a meeting. It consisted of Lucina, Cynthia, Marcus, and Wolt. It was nothing too important, so they decided it would be quick.

"Correct, Sir Wolt." Marcus said.

"We must head west to Ostia so that we can meet up with the rest of the Lycia Alliance." Marcus finished.

"Right. We must pass through the Laus territory on the way there. There are vast meadows and clear streams. It is drinkable water, so we won't have to worry about that. We can also find game in the meadows." Wolt said.

Wolt rubbed the back of his head nervously. "It is a bit iffy, but I may have heard rumors of skulduggery going on. We must stay vigilant. Any questions?" Wolt asked.

"I have a question! How will we march with Roy being injured?" Cynthia asked.

"We can either put him in the carriage with Merlinus, or he can ride on horseback with Marcus. I would think the carriage with Merlinus would be a better option. Anything else?" Wolt asked yet again.

The tent was silent.

"Right, that concludes our meeting. Dismissed." Marcus said.

Afterwards, the group had to take care of Roy's duties, as well as their own.

"Lucy?" Cynthia approached Lucina.

"..." Lucina was silent.

"Lucy, what's wrong? You seem sad... Is there anything I can do?" Cynthia asked hopefully. She did not like to see her sister be so forlorn.

"...No Cynthia, I am fine. If you'll excuse me..." Lucina trailed off. Hoping to be alone for the time being.

"Hey wait! Wolt and I are going to go sparring. You wanna see? I will make you proud sis! I never was able to beat you!" Cynthia said, desperate to cheer up her sister.

It appeared to be working. Lucina gave a soft giggle. "Don't worry Cynthia, you will be able to match my skill in time..."

Lucina looked to the rising sun. "I am sorry Cynthia. It is just that... Recent events have been... Taxing to say the least. I fear that I may be too pessimistic. It might be nothing serious, but I still can't help but worry." She said apologetically.

Cynthia came up with a few ideas. "Oooh, are you worried about Roy?"

Lucina blinked. "Of course I am. But-"

"Do you like him?" Cynthia asked mischievously.

"Yes. He is a valued comrade and-" Lucina began, but was cut off yet again by an annoyed Cynthia.

"No! I mean, do you _like_ him?" Cynthia clarified.

Lucina blushed furiously. "Wh-what? No! Not in that way! I only think of him as a valued c-comrade and friend!"

Cynthia rolled her eyes. "Come on, why are you so buddy-buddy with him then? You obviously like him a lot."

Lucina sighed and looked Cynthia in the eyes as calm and as serious as possible. "Cynthia, I assure you, I am not in love with Roy. We promised to tell each other about such things since we don't have father and mother to give their blessings to us." Lucina said truthfully.

"...Okay Lucy, you win. I believe you." Cynthia said, somewhat dour.

Cynthia brightened. "So, wanna come to our sparring match? After we finish our duties of course." She asked again.

"Of course Cynthia, I would love to." Lucina said, giving a half smile back.

"Great! Meet us at the training grounds after you finish! I'll be waiting for ya!" Cynthia said excitedly.

"Understood. Farewell, Cynthia." Lucina was about to turn to leave until Cynthia ran up to her and gave her a big hug.

"Cynthia..."

"Lucy... I'm really glad we are out of that rotten, miserable place that we called a home... Here, maybe we can have a chance to live..." Cynthia mumbled into Lucina's tunic.

"Cynthia... Me too. I'm sorry we didn't have much time to talk, I will change that. Please forgive me." Lucina said.

"Aw, don't worry about that, sis! You said we can have more time to talk? I will hold you to that!" Cynthia said.

"Of course." Lucina said. _'...How can I tell her that Risen are appearing...? I hope Cynthia is right, that we can have a chance to live... I'm tired of fighting all the time...'_

The two sisters reluctantly broke away from their embrace and said their farewells.

As Lucina made her way to her tent, she recalled Cynthia's words. ' _Do you like him?'_

Lucina dismissed those thoughts. Surely, she did not like him in that way.

But...

 _'He is very kind and helpful. Always doing what is best for everyone else. He will have to endure a lot to defeat Bern... Balancing that with leading an army is unthinkable... I hope he gets better too...'_ Lucina thought.

It broke her heart to see him injured by a poisoned axe. He wouldn't be able to do a whole lot for a while. She didn't want to know what it felt like doing nothing while others did your work and fought for you.

Lucina shook her head to get out of her thoughts. She needed a clear mind for what may come.

But she then had a chilling thought.

 _'Don't Risen attack in... Packs? Oh no...'_

Lucina sprinted full speed towards the medical tent, hoping to arrive in time.

o - o - o - o

Lucina arrived in time to see Roy stuggling to lift his blade outside his tent as he attempted to fight off a few Risen. It appeared that the battle had just begun.

"Roy! Get back! Let me handle this!" Lucina yelled to him.

"Lucina! Perfect timing!" Lucina sprinted towards Roy and shoved him behind her, eliciting a groan of pain from the young lord.

Adrenaline was coursing through Lucina as she slashed furiously at the Risen, easily downing one every strike as quickly as possible.

The Risen Chieftain had charged at her, swinging his axe around mindlessly. She parried a blow which knocked the axe out of its hand and she thrusted at the Risen's face. It instantly turned into a purple miasma.

 _'Gods! I've never seen anyone so vicious! She is truly remarkable!'_ Roy thought.

Immediately upon killing the Risen Chieftain, she turned and ran to Roy, practically tackling him.

"Roy, you're alive! Thank the gods!" She said joyfully.

"Um..." Roy was at a loss for words as he returned the embrace.

They were both silent until Lucina suddenly pulled away, embarrased.

"S-sorry... I... Was just so worried..." She said bashfully.

"N-no, no. It's alright." Roy said as he gave a nervous laugh. She wore a shy look that made him want to hug her again.

Then at that moment, Roy's heart was hit with the force of a hammer. He realized why he was thinking this way.

She was smart, strong, very beautiful, and had been through hardships unmatched by any other.

He had a small crush on her.

It was a silly thought, as love was a foreign feeling to Roy, but he truly liked her a lot. It was nothing too serious, it could pass as high admiration. He wondered for how long he thought of her this way.

He looked at Guinevere and she had almost no effect on him. She was beautiful, sure. But for some reason, she didn't affect him in that way.

Lucina cleared her throat and Roy snapped back to reality.

"Forgive me, Roy. I promised Cynthia that I would spectate her sparring match with Wolt. We should get you back inside the medical tent. I will help fix any bandages that might have come loose."

"Oh. Of course. Shall we then?"

Lucina led him back into the tent and left the medical tent after checking his bandages. It did not help that he put more strain on it, but it would heal in due time.

After she left, Roy looked to the ceiling of the tent. He was going to be bored and guilty for a while. He hated not being able to do anything. Just thinking about it made him cringe.

Eventually, he drifted off to sleep. But not before thinking of his newfound crush.

o - o - o - o

"Hah!" Cynthia locked blades with Wolt.

"Hyah!" Wolt parried a blow.

"Don't get too carried away, Cynthia!" Lucina yelled to her from the sidelines.

"Heh. You know, I never knew you could use a sword!" Cynthia told him as she lightened her blows.

"Ngh! Likewise...!" Wolt made a quick response.

"I thought... Pegasus knights only used... Lances!" Wolt said as he swung his sword relentlessly.

"Not this one!" Cynthia yelled as she prepared for a counterattack after easily blocking his strikes.

"...I hope you're ready... AETHER!!" Cynthia shouted.

At that point, Lucina jumped in to intervene. She took her sister's wrist and yanked the practice blade from her hand, tossing it aside.

"Hey! What're you-" Cynthia started.

"Cynthia, how could you!?" Lucina chastised. "

"You know Aether is a dangerous technique! I told you not to get carried away! Forgive me, sir Wolt, but she would have injured you badly if she hit you." Lucina said apologetically.

"Uh... Sure? Cynthia, maybe we should continue another time? Bye!" He waved to the two of them and ran away quickly, not wanting to get in the crossfire of the sibling's 'bonding time'.

"Lucina... Grab the practice blade."

"Of course."

The siblings prepared for an intense sparring match.

Lucina dashed forward, striking low. But Cynthia, knowing her sister all too well, expected this and parried. Cynthia charged with a thrust, Lucina saw this coming and sidestepped.

"Not bad, Cynthia. But I am just getting started."

"Same here. Prepare yourself! Sacred Stones!" Cynthia borrowed Owain's attack. But it did not hit it's target.

Lucina ducked underneath the swings and backpedaled.

"That was a close one, Cynthia. I would not have guessed that you would use Owain's move. However..." Lucina squatted, preparing for a power jump.

"If you are going to borrow moves, then so shall I!" Lucina jumped into the air and brought her sword down on Cynthia, who narrowly dodged, but grazed her neck.

"Cynthia! Are you okay?" Lucina said, worried she may have made the same mistake as her sister.

"What, this? Ha! It is just a scratch. Regardless, I yield. I am super duper tired right now. can we continue another time?" Cynthia said, breathing rather heavily.

"Oh.. Of course. If you wish." Lucina said.

"See ya sis! I need to help Wolt sort the inventory." Cynthia said.

"Farewell..." Lucina said as a pang of nostalgia hit her.

o - o - o - o

 ** _Ylisse, ten years ago._**

 _'Cmon, sis! We have to meet up with the Justice Cabal!' Cynthia told Lucina with excitement._

 _'Wait a sec, Cynthia. I'm right behind you.' Lucina said, as they giggled._

 _'And what are my little girls up to?' Said a masculine voice._

 _The two girls looked at him with love and awe and ran over to give him a hug._

 _'Daddy! You're home!' We were on our way to meet with the Justice Cabal. But we would rather spend time with you! Right, Lucina?'_

 _'Of course! Daddy is the bestest hero ever!' Lucina said with admiration._

 _'Heh. I would hope so. I need to be the bestest hero ever if I want to protect my little girls!' Chrom said, happy to have his two princesses. They reminded him of his wife... They were all he had, and he would protect them with every fiber of his being._

 _'You girls want to look at the flowers in the garden? Daddy has to... Leave again in a while.' Chrom said, tearing up slightly._

 _'Daddy! Do you have to go? You just got here...' Cynthia said, forlorn._

 _'Heh, don't worry, my pega-pony princess. I have a bit of time before I leave.' Chrom said, happy he gets to spend some time with them. He supposed it was better than nothing._

 _'Ok, daddy!' Cynthia said._

 _The three went to the royal garden and looked at the majestic flowers that were recently watered._

 _'Whoa! So many colors!' Lucina gasped._

 _'Daddy! Look!' Cynthia pointed to a group of flowers._

 _They were Sumia's special flowers that she used for fortune telling. Chrom silenced a sob._

 _'Hm? What's the matter, daddy?' Lucina asked, worried something went wrong._

 _'N-nothing, little ones, I'm perfectly fine. How about we look over there?' Chrom said, pointing to a spot away from the fortune flowers._

 _Their expressions' brightened as they ran over to look at the new flowers. With Chrom trailing close behind._

 _'Ooh, Daddy, look!' Lucina beckoned Chrom to come closer._

 _'Did you find something you like?' Chrom asked._

 _'Daisies!' Lucina responded._

 _'Daisies?' Chrom asked. He didn't know they grew in the royal garden._

 _'Yes! Daises are my favorite flower!' Lucina stated._

 _'Is that so? Well, we have to do something special then... Especially with all of these daisies growing here, good lord!' Chrom said, astounded by the amount of white and yellow he saw._

 _'Daddy, could you put them in my hair?' Lucina asked innocently._

 _'Of course. Actually, that was what I was going to do in the first place.' Chrom chuckled._

 _He plucked some of the flowers from their roots and put a few in Lucina's hair._

 _'There you go, little one. You look beautiful!' Chrom said honestly._

 _'Do you mean it? Thanks, daddy!' Lucina said gratefully._

 _'Ooh, ooh, my turn, my turn!' Cynthia said with excitement._

 _'Ok, Pega-Pony Princess, show me the flowers.' Chrom told Cynthia._

 _She pointed to Sumia's fortune flowers and Chrom cringed._

 _'Uh... Are you sure that is what you want?' Chrom asked, hoping she would say no._

 _'Yep! ...Daddy, what's the matter?' Cynthia asked. Noticing his strange behavior._

 _Chrom decided not to tell them. It would make leaving so much harder. He did not want to burden them of that knowledge._

 _'Nothing... Come here.' He said, moving to sit on the ground next to the fortune flowers._

 _He repeated the process of plucking flowers and putting them in one of his daughter's hair. Only this time, it was much harder mentally for him. It felt like he was killing a part of his wife's spirit that still lived on._

 _When he saw Cynthia, he was on the verge of tears. She looked so much like her. With her hair down in a similar fashion and the flowers in her hair, it was heart wrenching to look at her. He hated that feeling. He shouldn't be afraid to look at her daughter because she looked like her deceased mother, should he?'_

 _Chrom stood and looked away quickly._

 _He felt a hand tugging at his waist and he looked down. It was Lucina. 'Daddy... Where is Mommy?'_

 _He knew he should have expected that question, but it was heartbreaking for him all the same. Reluctantly, he attempted to put on a stoic face as he crouched to look at Lucina in the eyes._

 _'Mommy is... Busy right now. She is fighting for you two so very hard... She loves you two and wants you both to have a wonderful life...' A life that he knew they wouldn't get. Regret filled his mind._

 _His broken heart shattered even further when he saw the dejected looks on their faces._

 _'I miss mommy, daddy.' Cynthia said. 'Will we see her again soon?'_

 _Chrom let a few tears fall. 'Y-yes you will, someday...'_

 _Chrom heard footsteps behind them._

 _'Chrom, we are ready to leave. Have you said your goodbyes?' A voice said._

 _Chrom wiped the tears from his eyes and looked toward the hooded figure. 'Give me a moment, Robin. I will be there shortly.'_

 _Robin nodded. 'Of course.' Then the mysterious person walked away._

 _'N-now, as you heard Robin say, I must be going...' Chrom dropped to his knees to give them both a hug._

 _'Daddy... How long will you be gone?' Lucina asked._

 _'Not l-long. We will just beat up the evil old wizard and we'll be back before you know it.' Chrom said._

 _'We'll miss you daddy...' Cynthia said._

 _'I know... You two must be strong though. You both remind me of your m-mother. It is okay to cry sometimes. Do whatever you need to do to forget about the bad and to remember the good.' Chrom said._

 _Chrom reluctantly pulled away._

 _'G-goodbye, my sweet little princesses... I love you two. More than you could possibly know...'_

 _'Daddy... We love you too...' They both said._

 _Chrom left the two and went to catch up with the Shepherds, or whatever was left of them._

 _'You okay?' Robin asked._

 _'Well, we are going on a suicide mission, my daughters are going to have to go through hell, and my wife is dead. Yeah, I'm okay!' Chrom said bitterly._

 _'Sorry. That was a stupid question.'_

 _'Really?' Chrom asked sarcastically._

 _Robin sighed. 'Sorry. Forget I said anything. Let's just go.'_

 _The Shepherds left for the dragon's table in Plegia. They would make a last stand. But it was an impossible task. Many of the Shepherds were killed, morale was low, and supplies were draining quickly. Their deaths were certain. Chrom had to go. He would not want to be a coward while his Shepherds fought and died for him. That wasn't fair to them. Besides, it was his militia_ , _he would have to command them._

 _'I'm so sorry little ones... I wasn't able to give you the life that your mother wanted... I hope you two can forgive me one day.' Chrom said regretfully._

 _'I love you two... So much...'_

o - o - o - o

Lucina was broken out of her thoughts by tears falling from her face. She rubbed her eyes to get rid of them.

All she wanted was to see her parents again. She was denied that because of Grima. She had buried the pain for so long. She had to when Robin came to give her Falchion after saying her father was killed in battle. In which afterwards, Robin left mysteriously.

 _'It's okay to cry sometimes...'_ She remembered her father's words.

"Do whatever you need to do to forget about the bad, and to remember the good." Lucina said. Leaving to go to her tent to do just that.

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: The feels much? A few things here.**

 **Yes, the flashbacks are in third person too. It may be unorthodox, but I think it is better this way. Well, in my opinion anyway.**

 **This story has reached over 1,000 views!? That is absolutely amazing. Thank you all for stopping by.**

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 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	9. Laus

Lucina was roused from her sleep from Marcus, who suggested that they should draft marching plans. She complied and they made their way to the command tent.

Lucina felt so much better after giving a good cry. It felt as if an invisible weight was lifted from her shoulders.

Once they arrived at the command tent, they immediately planned their next move.

They would pass by Laus. The country was rumored to be ruled by a traitorous Marquess, named Erik. If they had to, they would investigate. However, their main plan was to stay incognito as best as they could.

They finished the marching plans and Marcus sought out Merlinus to spread the word of their imminent departure. Meanwhile, Lucina was just finishing putting her tent into the storage.

She was approached by a cautious Wolt, who looked as if he wanted to say something that he had forgotten about.

"Uh... Hello, Lucina." Wolt said, standing as far away as he could.

"Hm? Oh, hello Wolt. Did you need anything?" Lucina asked, wondering why he looked so nervous.

"Ah, well... It's just that... I promised to help with your humor, right? So I was wondering if that was what you wanted to do on the march." Wolt said.

"I see. I will consider it." Lucina said. Thinking that it may not be for the best if she did at the moment.

"Very well, thank you. M-miss Lucina." Wolt said, running away.

"Farewell...?"

Lucina shrugged and went to see if she could talk with Roy before they went to march.

o - o - o - o

Roy was struggling to walk. Even though Ellen told him to stay in bed, he didn't want to feel so useless. So he kept trying to walk. Maybe it wouldn't hurt as bad if he kept trying.

But he was incorrect.

If anything, it hurt more. He gave a frustrated sigh and laid back down on his bed. He rubbed his eyes irately.

The only reason he was able to stand when the Risen pack showed up was because of adrenaline and the will to survive. At the moment, he had neither. But even then, it still hurt like hell.

 _'Stupid poison... I can't sit all day while my allies have to march... That isn't fair to them. But... I suppose they might understand.'_ Roy thought with conflicted opinions.

Roy heard footsteps from outside the tent. Before he could open his mouth, a voice spoke.

"Roy? May I come inside?" It was Lucina.

"Of course, come on in." Roy responded, slightly worried about her because of their last few conversation.

Lucina walked in and sat on a chair next to his bed. They were both silent for a moment.

Finally, Lucina spoke. "I feel I should apologize to you for last time. I was afraid, and I should not have walked off like that. Please forgive me." She said apologetically.

"No, don't worry. I completely understand why you did. I was just a bit worried. I have wanted to talk with you ever since, but as you can see..." Roy attempted to stand and he failed. "I cannot walk very well..."

"Roy... About that..." Lucina started. But Roy interjected.

"I just don't want to feel like a burden. If I cannot pull my own weight, then why am I here? I guess I am just dead weight." He said with a somber tone.

Lucina's eyes glinted. "Y-you... Don't ever call yourself that again!" Lucina shouted.

Roy was greatly taken aback. "H-huh?! Luci-" Roy was cut off.

"You are so much better than you think you are! You helped me through a tough time, you are leading the Pherae army, and you are fighting in a war that could be the death of you!" Lucina said, lowering her voice, but not her passion.

"Don't think of yourself that way... I know all too well how that feels... A-and it isn't good. Tell me, if you give up now, how do you think this war will end?" Lucina asked.

Roy scoffed. "The same way it will even if I die! You don't need me. Hell, you would probably be better off without me. I am inexperienced, terrible at tactics, terrible with swords, terrible at conversing, and gods awful at leading!" Roy said, angry at himself for being so worthless.

At this point, Lucina has had enough. She balled her fists in preparation for what she was about to do.

"Forgive me Roy, you leave me with no choice. I have heard stories of my father doubting himself heavily, and my mother helped him. I think it will help you too." Lucina told him calmly.

"Uh... What are you-" Roy started, intimidated. He was cut off by Lucina's fist across his face.

Roy saw stars. His cheek was burning up.

"Listen to yourself, Roy! You sound as if there is no point in you living! Everyone has purpose! You are no different. You don't give yourself enough credit, you are an amazing leader. You Inspire us, Roy! You inspire me! D-don't be like me... I felt like I would go insane from the amount of death that occured in our minuscule army..." Lucina stifled a sob at the awful memories.

"Leading is not just about being able to fight, Roy. Leading is also about inspiring people and giving hope to others."

"If that is the case, you would be a better leader than I ever could." Roy said immediately regretting that after remembering what she had gone through.

"N-no... I could not... I had tried to give hope in my world, and it worked for the most part, but we were slowly losing hope after all of those deaths... I don't want to be a leader anymore, Roy..." Lucina said, tearing up.

"I-I'm sorry, Lucina. It was wrong of me to say that. You have been through hell. I should not ask to give you such a burden." Roy said.

"..." Lucina was silent.

"But... Are you really okay with me sitting around while you guys do all the work?" Roy asked.

"Of course. We know it wasn't your fault, Roy. You had no control over what happened. You have not faced such an enemy before. And besides, it will heal in about a day, so give yourself some time. I worry about you too..." Lucina said.

Roy gave a lighthearted laugh, which was her weakness. She couldn't resist smiling.

"Lucina, even though we only met a few weeks ago, I consider you one of my closest friends. I hope you know that."

Lucina gave a slightly more reserved laugh. "Thank you, Roy. You are a close friend to me, too."

Roy smiled idiotically, making Lucina laugh yet again.

"I appreciate the talk, Lucina. I feel a lot better now. I just hope that my leg heals soon, I have to get back into my training!" Roy said impatiently.

"There will be time later, I promise. Just let it heal. We don't want to see you hurt again... I am sorry that you must stay in the carriage, Roy..." Lucina said sympathetically.

"Yeah... It really sucks, but I know that if you guys get into battle, you will definitely win! There is not a doubt in my mind!" Roy said admirably.

"I appreciate the vote of confidence, Roy. I must thank you as well. You helped me deal with my past. I cannot thank you enough for that." Lucina said.

"Don't mention it. Just promise that as soon as I heal, you will train with me." Roy said.

"Of course, I would be glad to. Forgive me, Roy, I must be going now. We are preparing to march. Take care."

"Bye, Lucina. And thanks again for the talk!" He told her as she was walking out.

o - o - o - o

Narshen flew to Laus. He wanted to speak with Erik about current events and about the young woman that he captured.

When he arrived, Marquess Erik greeted him with a sinister smile.

"Good day, Sir Narshen. How are you faring today?" Erik said.

"Lord Erik. I have not yet complimented your decision of turning against Lycia in favor of us." Narshen said with a smirk.

"Hah! There is no future for Elibe if we are chained down traditions that are old and moldy, sir." Erik said with confidence.

"Well spoken sir, that is a wise way of thinking. Apologies for cutting to the chase, but where is the gift you promised me?" Narshen asked.

"Oh, of course, sir. I have her in a separate room. She is very naive, you see. We fooled her into thinking we could let her meet her brother, and she came with us without question. You! Over there! Bring her to us." Erik told a soldier passing by.

"Yes sir!" The soldier replied.

The soldier held her by the arm. She was a young blond noble.

"What is the meaning of this?! Where is my brother?!" She asked, looking around the room.

Narshen raised an eyebrow. He recognized her. "Hm... Greetings, Lady Clarine."

"And just who are you?" Clarine asked, annoyed.

"I am Narshen, one of Bern's three dragon lords, at your service. Hehehe... I will play with you instead of your brother." Narshen said, giving another sinister laugh.

Much to his surprise, Clarine started laughing also. "Hahahaha!"

"What is so amusing, my lady?" He said, annoyed.

"You, instead of my brother? Ha! Take a look at a mirror. Your clothing, your hair your speech... Every aspect of you completely lacks finesse!" Clarine said.

Narshen recoiled in anger. "Lacks finesse!? Me, lacking finesse!?"

"Comparing you to my brother is like comparing a turkey to a peacock!"

"Y-you... You wretch! Saying I lack finesse, of all things!" Narshen said, face flushed with anger.

A soldier nervously approached Narshen. "S-sir Narshen... I have just received a report that Castle Araphen has been retaken by the enemy."

This made Narshen more angry. "What!? What happened to Slater!?"

"Er... He has been killed in battle, sir. Apparently, their leader has been reported as Roy, the son of the Marquess of Pherae."

Narshen grumbled to himself in frustration. "... Lord Erik, would you mind locking the girl up in a cell? I shall have much fun with her when I return!" Narshen said.

Narshen pointed to a soldier. "You, close down the highroad leading to Ostia. This Roy person might pass by."

"Yes sir!"

"Do be careful Sir Narshen, there have also been reports of strange human-like creatures roaming the lands." Erik said.

Narshen raised an eyebrow. He had not heard of this. "Human-like creatures you say? Interesting... Very well. I must bid you farewell now."

He took his leave and Erik threw Clarine into a cell. He then prepared his troops for a potential battle against the Pherae Army.

o - o - o - o

The Pherae Army was finally marching to Laus. They had almost reached their destination.

"So... If someone says that they are sick of something, it means that they are tired of something, or are annoyed at something, got it?" Wolt told Lucina, who agreed to the 'lessons' and were already a couple hours in.

"Understood." Lucina said stiffly.

Wolt sighed at her behavior. She has been giving brief replies the whole time. The only people she would talk with without a problem are Cynthia and Roy.

"Listen, we can stop if you feel like it. I don't want to make you feel obligated to continue this." Wolt said.

"No... Forgive me, Sir Wolt. I have a rather difficult time speaking with people I don't know very well. It isn't your fault. Shall we continue?" Lucina said guiltily.

"Sure. Okay, tell me what a simile is."

"A simile... Comparing two unalike things with each other by using 'like, or as?'" She asked.

"Great! Now, give me an example of a hyperbole." Wolt said.

"That is easy: The box weighed a thousand tons." Lucina said.

"Good, now it gets harder. Hmm... Alright, what is an Oxymoron? Give me an example of one."

"Er... Forgive me, I cannot recall." Lucina said.

"That's okay, you don't really need to know about that anyway. So now that we've got that out of the way, let's work on some jokes." Wolt said excitedly.

"Wait... Are those... Soldiers? Wolt, let the others know. We may have to prepare for battle!" Lucina said hastily.

"On it!" He said, slightly disappointed they had to end the lesson right before they got into jokes.

Wolt rallied the troops, and they had fallen in around Lucina.

"It looks like they have the villages in lockdown. The people in that castle over there appear to be looking for someone." Cynthia said to them after visiting the nearest village.

"I see... Prepare for battle, we must investigate. If the rumors are true, we must not allow this treachery to continue any further." Lucina said.

"Yeah, the villagers said the soldiers were looking for someone named 'Roy,' sound familiar?" Wolt said.

"Then it confirms they have indeed turned. What a shame, the last Marquess was also a traitor, I was hoping this Marquess would be more loyal..." Marcus said.

"There are mostly Cavaliers, but I see a few Nomads as well." Cynthia said.

"Very well. Sir Marcus, you're with Sir Dieck, go pair with him. Cynthia, you're with Sir Wolt. Sir Chad, stay back here in the village." Lucina commanded them.

"But what about you, sis!?" Cynthia asked, worried beyond words.

"Don't worry about me, Cynthia. Have some faith, I don't plan on dying out there." Lucina said, trying to reassure her sister.

Cynthia looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't. After putting a hand on Cynthia's shoulder for reassurance, Lucina gave the order to move out.

o - o - o - o

In the castle dungeon, a blonde noble was pacing angrily in her cell. Clarine gave a frustrated groan.

"They will pay for locking me in here..." Clarine said, mood sour.

She then thought she heard a voice outside the room. When she approached her door, she could faintly make out the words.

"..Hey." The person outside said.

"Who goes there?!" Clarine asked while looking for a makeshift weapon.

The stranger opened the door and spoke to her. "I am a mercenary hired by Lord Erik. He would like to see you."

"Oh? Well, I refuse." Clarine said with indignation. "I do not wish to speak with lower class people."

The mercenary sighed. "Just get over here." He took her by the wrist and led her as forcefully as he needed to.

Clarine tried to fight back with actions and words. "Let go of me this instant! You will pay! Do you know who I am?!"

The mercenary was silent.

Clarine still tried to resist. "I said, let go!"

The mercenary rolled his eyes and continued to drag her towards the throne room.

o - o - o - o

The Pherae army was faring quite well. There were some minor injuries, but they have been getting by.

Lucina, being by herself, was rather uncomfortable. She didn't have anyone by her side, which was what she was used to having.

The army inched closer to the castle, but they were still rather far away. Lucina noticed something chilling.

 _'What is that!?'_ Lucina's mind was racing.

She saw dark figures on top of a small plateau where one of the villages resided. Risen, presumably.

Her blood ran cold. She was too far away.

Seeing Cynthia was beset by enemies, as well as Marcus, they wouldn't be there in time. She sprinted full-speed towards the village, praying to Naga she would make it in time.

However, several Risen jumped down to intercept her.

Cursing herself for being so careless, she took out her sword, preparing for a quick skirmish.

She soon found that they were tougher than she thought. It was four against one, so the odds were in their favor, they were much quicker, stronger and their blows were more controlled than the Risen from her time.

Gritting her teeth, she started to fight back. She had to take her time, It could be fatal if she made a mistake, even for her.

She jumped out of the way of the first Risen's axe and chopped it's arm off. She finished it off with a thrust to it's stomach. Another Risen charged her and nicked her in the forearm. She used Aether to finish it off.

She heard screams coming from the village. She was already too late.

Out of anger and frustration, she finished the other two off with a horizontal slash. Seeing that they were finally killed, she ran up the the hill leading to the village.

It had already been destroyed.

 _'No! Damn me! Not again!'_ Lucina screamed in her mind. This brought back memories of one of many villages she had failed to save. She dropped to her knees in tears. She looked down, and she saw a flower. The flower brought back memories of a flower a little girl from her world had given her.

o - o - o - o

 **Ylisse, 1 year ago.**

 _Lucina was walking through a village with her army. She was had terrible wounds and was gasping for breath. Her shoulder was cut deep, almost reaching her humerus. She had trouble moving her arm._

 _'Gods, what terrible wounds!'_

 _'Will she be okay?!'_

 _'Please be safe, milady!'_

 _The townspeople were quite worried. One in particular called her over._

 _'Lady Lucina! Hurry on inside!'_

 _Too tired to argue, Lucina obliged._

 _Once they were inside, the villagers wrapped the cut in a bandage and laid her on a bed._

 _'We're deeply sorry, but this village does not have much...' The man said._

 _'No, I am grateful to you for letting me rest here despite my sudden visit.' Lucina said, giving a polite smile._

 _'I will just rest here and then I'll immediately leave the first chance I get.' Lucina told him._

 _'No you won't, Lady Lucina!' Her soldier that was supervising said._

 _'Your wound will take several days to heal! Please rest here until then!' He said._

 _'But... Now that my father is dead, if I don't fight... Ngh!' A sharp pain emanated from her shoulder._

 _'Does it hurt, miss?' A young girl no older than six asked._

 _They gave each other an awkward stare._

 _'Does it hurt?' The girl repeated._

 _'Well...' Lucina started, unsure of what to say._

 _Then the girl's mother came and tried to drag him away from her._

 _'Please excuse her, Lady Lucina! My daughter is so impolite!' She said._

 _'N-no, I don't mind...' Lucina said._

 _'You have to call her 'Lady Lucina!'' The mother told her daughter._

 _'Lady Lucina!' The girl said while struggling against her mother's grip. 'I will take care of you, ok?' This only made her mother more forceful._

 _'What are you saying, now!?' Her mother asked incredulously._

 _Lucina gave a teary eyed smile. She was touched by the notion._

 _She gave a soft laugh. 'Just for a few days, okay? I'll be counting on you!' Lucina told the little girl._

 _The girl gave a giddy smile. 'Okay!'_

 _Lucina didn't say anything else, but she returned the smile._

 **The next day...**

 _'Lady Lucina, tell me a story!' The little girl said excitedly._

 _'Hmm... Let's see...' Lucina thought. She told her a story about her requesting sword training from her father. Her story was brief, as tears fell from her cheeks._

 _'Lady Lucina... Are you sad? Your face looked so sad...' The girl said forlornly. She then had an idea. 'Wait here, okay?' The girl ran outside._

 _'Um...' Lucina was a bit confused._

 _The girl came back with an object in her hands. 'Tada!' The girl held up the object._

 _'Huh? Flowers...?' Lucina questioned._

 _'Yup! You can only find them around here. My mom said they're really rare! Whenever my mom yells at me and I feel sad, I smell this flower.'_

 _Ignoring that last part, Lucina leaned over to smell the flowers. 'Wow... It smells really nice.'_

 _The girl let go of the flowers. 'Thank you, I feel much better now!' Lucina said._

 _'Yay! I knew you would love it!' The little girl jumped joyfully._

 **A few days later...**

 _'Lady Lucina, will you be leaving now?' The woman asked._

 _'Yes, I would like to reach the next town before nightfall.' Lucina replied._

 _'I see... I am sorry we couldn't do more...'_

 _'No, It is thanks to you that I could take the time to recover. You have my gratitude.' Lucina said truthfully._

 _The little girl walked behind Lucina. 'Lady Lucina... Are you leaving?'_

 _Lucina knelt to her height. 'Yes... I am.'_

 _'...Lady Lucina, you know... I started making a potpourri with this flower. So that the nice smell will last forever. I will give it to you the next time I see you... So come again, okay?'_

 _Lucina gave a soft smile. 'I'll definitely come back!'_

 _The little girl gave Lucina a big hug. After saying their farewells, Lucina and her army departed._

 **The next day...**

 _Lucina and her army made it to the next town. Near the shops, she heard something chilling._

 _Two people were talking to each other. '...Have you heard that a village nearby was attacked by Risen?' The first man asked the other man._

 _'Is that true? Damn, so we aren't safe here either...'_

 _'Yeah, we have to move somewhere else...'_

 _Lucina wore a disturbed face. 'A town nearby...'_

 _Lucina ran up to the man. 'Excuse me! The village you are talking about, are you talking about the one on the mountain!?'_

 _'Er... Yes, I didn't see it myself, my son told me about it when he took a ride on his horse this morning.' He said with surprise._

 _Sprinting away, she jumped on her horse, with her destination being the village she recovered in. Her soldiers, caught off guard, started hastily following in their horses._

 _'Please... Please be safe...' Lucina thought._

 _When she and her soldiers made it to the village, she was traumatized._

 _It was in ruins, houses were destroyed and there were dead bodies scattered on the roads._

 _'Gods... If only I had taken one more day to recover... This wouldn't have...' Her mind trailed off as she reached the ruins of the house she recovered in._

 _'No...' She found the remains of the potpourri the little girl was making for her._

 _Lucina dropped to her arms and knees as she sobbed next to the remnants of the dried petals._

o - o - o - o

Lucina's vision was blurry. She wiped the tears from her eyes. She would mourn after the battle.

With rage, she sprinted to the Risen at the ruins of the village.

o - o - o - o

The mercenary and Clarine made their way outside the castle.

"I said, let go!" Clarine persisted.

"Shut up. You won't be able to escape with all the noise you're making." The mercenary told her.

"Huh? Then you're..."

"Yeah. I've prepared a horse for you over by that tree. Get on it and leave while you can.

"Why are you helping me?" Clarine asked.

"I have a grudge against Bern." He replied.

"Is that so?"

"That's none of your business." He answered.

"Putting it that way only makes me more curious." Clarine told him

"Haven't I done enough for you? Get out of here!"

"Hmph."

Clarine escaped on the horse. Upon leaving, she saw just exactly where she was.

"This is an active battlefield! What was that man thinking?! A proper gentleman should escort a lady to her mansion!" Clarine exclaimed.

She groaned. "I came all the way here on my own to meet my brother, and this is what I get?"

She decided to just wing it, so she headed towards the closest person...

o - o - o - o

The mercenary made his way back to Erik before he was discovered.

"Ah! There you are." Erik said, slightly surprising the mercenary, but he didn't let it show.

"What do you want?" He asked Erik.

"Our forces are having trouble out there. Take some troops and assist them!"

"Did you hear me? I said to go help them!" Erik said, losing his patience.

"I heard you. I will leave as soon as I am ready." The mercenary then left to gather troops.

"Hmph, he is not the friendliest of people... I suppose he makes up for it in skill with a blade."

o - o - o - o

Lucina had just finished killing all of the Risen when she heard a shout west of her.

"Pardon me, you over there!" A young woman shouted.

"..." Lucina was silent.

"Hey, I am talking to you!"

"What is it you require?" Lucina finally asked.

"Oh, nobility yourself, huh? You are the leader of this group, aren't you?" She asked.

"As of right now, yes. But I am a temporary replacement." Lucina answered, wondering how much she should tell her.

"I see... That is most convenient. Alright then, will you protect me?" She asked.

"Forgive me, but you could be the enemy, why should I trust you?" Lucina asked.

"Well, excuse me! I was locked up in that dirty old castle over there! That is good enough reason!" She exclaimed.

"I see... Very well, you do not look like you could do any harm." Lucina said.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean!?"

"So, I advise you to stay in the back with a man named Merlinus. He is the man with the carriage." Lucina said.

"I see. By the way, since you didn't ask, my name is Clarine." Clarine said.

Lucina gave a forced smile. "It is nice to make your acquaintance, Clarine."

"Hmph. Finally, someone with manners..." Clarine mumbled.

"Do you use staves, Lady Clarine?"

"I do. Do you have any wounded?" Clarine asked.

Lucina finally had something to breath a sigh of relief over. "Yes, we do. Please, Merlinus is carrying a wounded young man. I beg of you to help heal him."

"Very well, leave it to me... Oh, before I leave, what is your name?" Clarine asked.

"Lucina. My name is Lucina."

"Lucina... That is a lovely name. I will have to have tea with you sometime. Farewell."

"Farewell...?"

o - o - o - o

Clarine was making her way to Merlinus as she caught sight of a certain someone on the battlefield. "Hey, isn't that...?"

She approached him on her horse.

"Oh, it's you." Clarine said.

"You... What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? You abandoned me in a battlefield, and you have the nerve to say that? I could have been killed!" Clarine said indignantly.

"Well, you're lucky that you're still alive. Anything else you would like to say to me?" He asked.

"Hold on, are you just going to walk away after abandoning me? A proper gentleman should take responsibility for his actions." Clarine said.

"What? What responsibilities do you speak of?" He asked.

"If a man rescues a lady, that he must also escort her to her mansion!" Clarine said.

The mercenary sighed. "...I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Besides, don't you have something against Bern? Then you shouldn't have to fight us, who are going up against them." Clarine said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... Wait, what!? Hold on a moment. Is that true?" He asked.

"What?"

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "The army you are fighting with, are they against Bern?"

"Yes, their leader is named... Well I dunno. You want to talk with a woman named Lucina. She is the temporary leader." Clarine clarified.

"...Very well." He said.

"Hmm?"

"I am going to be joining your army. Happy?"

"I suppose...?"

The mercenary ran off to meet with this 'Lucina.'

"Hey, wait! The most important thing is to protect me, not fight Bern!" Clarine yelled to him, but he was out of earshot.

o - o - o - o

After the exchange with Clarine, Lucina met with the village south of the battlefield, and cleared out some pirates coming from the southeastern area. The battle was almost over. She ran over to the castle entrance to fight the traitor, Erik.

"You fools are bound too tight around old and moldy traditions! I shall teach you the ways of the world!" Erik shouted to Lucina.

"What ways!? Greed? World domination? What are your goals!?" Lucina asked incredulously.

"Hehehe. Stupid girl, I will never tell!" Erik said.

Lucina charged him, but he managed to dodge the attack. He countered with a horizontal strike aimed at her lower body. Which is exactly what Lucina wanted. She jumped over the swing and slashed at the horse.

Erik was losing control of it, and it bucked him off. However, he managed to avoid serious injury and went back into battle.

He started with a feint. He managed to succeed, as she was not accustomed to feints; she only fought Risen, who were not intelligent enough to attempt techniques such as those. She rolled into his real attack aimed at her stomach.

It nicked her in the side, drawing blood. She decided to go all out, using Aether. The first strike he blocked, but the pressure from the blow made his arms weak. Lucina disarmed him, threw him to the ground, and kicked the blade away.

"So... This is how it ends..." Erik said, out of breath. "Hahaha... You fools... There is no future for those who try to oppose absolute power..." Erik spat out.

"You fought well, but your traitorous acts will not be forgiven. May Naga have mercy on you." Lucina said. She closed her eyes and stabbed him through the heart.

Afterwards, she conquered the castle. Merlinus managed to catch up with her after a while. "Lady Lucina, the remaining Laus soldiers are retreating!" He said.

"Understood. Tell everyone else to rest at the villages." Lucina replied.

Merlinus bowed. "By the way, someone wanted to see you, I think his name was Rutger. He was a mercenary hired by Laus. He can tell you the whole story, but apparently, he dislikes Bern."

"I see. I will meet up with him. Farewell, Merlinus." Lucina said.

"Farewell..." With that, Merlinus took his leave.

Lucina sat at the steps until she caught sight of someone she wasn't expecting to see.

"Ah, Lady Lucina, are you well?" It was Princess Guinevere.

"Ah, indeed I am..." Lucina replied.

"I feel that I must apologize. If it weren't for Bern, you would not have to fight in this war. Roy told me we must not trust the other Marquesses. He also told me that there may not be a way to end this war peacefully with Lord Hector's death..." Guinevere said.

"No need to apologize. It wasn't within your control. Besides, you disagree with Bern, correct? As Roy might say, you have a place here with us." Lucina said.

"Am I really able to stay? I wouldn't be a burden, would I?"

"Of course not. You can stay as long as you like. Well... That is Roy's decision, but I know he feels the same." Lucina said truthfully.

"I see. You have my thanks. I do not hate my brother, but he always talked about liberating the world. It... Slightly angered me, you could say." Guinevere said.

That got Lucina's attention. "Liberate the world...?"

Guinevere nodded. "He said that this war will liberate the world."

Lucina was perplexed beyond words. It must have shown, because Guinevere gave a sorrowful smile.

"Trust me, I wish I knew as well... Anyway, I do not wish to waste anymore of your time. Farewell, Lady Lucina."

"Farewell... Princess Guinevere..." When Guinevere left, Lucina was pondering Guinevere's words.

 _'What could King Zephiel mean? He plans to liberate the world by causing death to innocent people and destructions of their homes?'_ She shuddered just thinking about it.

She decided to head back with the others. She also had to meet up with Rutger. She planned to find him first. It turned out to be easier than she thought it would be. It appeared that he was looking for her as well.

"Hey, you. Are you Lucina?" Rutger asked.

"Indeed I am. How have you heard of me?" Lucina asked, slightly worried.

"Clarine told me of you. I would like to join your army." He said.

Letting go of a breath she was holding, Lucina told him of Roy.

"I am only the temporary leader. You'll want to speak with Roy. Do you see the man riding the carriage over there?"

She pointed to Merlinus.

"There is a man with red hair named Roy in the carriage, he will enlist you." Lucina said.

"I see. My thanks." Rutger said.

He reminded her of Gerome somewhat. A man of few words. She wondered how they were doing. She only just met up with Cynthia a time ago. She still held on to hope. She knew they were skilled warriors.

She decided to head back to their camp that Marcus set up by himself, as usual.

She arrived at her tent and took out her cot. She was tired from the day's events. She remembered Roy's wounds and she decided to check up on him.

o - o - o - o

Roy was being treated by two hotheaded healers. It was quite irritating, but somewhat endearing with all the nagging he got. It didn't change the fact it was annoying, though.

After they had finished, they told him to stay in bed for another day. He could walk, but _only_ walk a short distance. The poison was extracted and his leg still needed to get used to the weight on it.

He was about to get up and walk around until he heard a voice outside.

"Roy, may I come in?" It was Lucina.

"Oh, of course." Roy replied.

She walked in and sat down on a chair.

"So, how are you doing, Roy?" Lucina asked.

"Great, actually. Clarine and Ellen said I could continue my duties tomorrow. I also get to get back into my training." Roy said with a smile.

"Good... That's good." Lucina said, slightly mesmerized by his smile.

"U-uh... Lucina?" Roy asked, curious about her behavior.

"Wh-what?! Sorry! I didn't mean to..." Lucina trailed off.

"Y-yeah... I should probably get some sleep, Lucina." Roy said, heart aflutter.

"Right. See you t-tomorrow, Roy." Lucina said, rushing to get out of the tent.

Her heart was beating so fast it hurt. _'Gods, what is this feeling? I don't understand it.'_ Lucina left to her tent and tried to get some sleep. It was rather difficult, as the image of Roy's smile was burned into her mind.

She dozed off with a content smile on her face.

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: Sorry for the slight delay. It was procrastination, I have no excuse.**

 **I was looking at my first few chapters. CRINGE. I will have to redo them sometime. They are filled with errors and awkward flow.**

 **Sorry for the unoriginality. You may know what I am talking about.** * **COUGH, *COUGH, VILLAGE SCENE, *COUGH, *COUGH***

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	10. The Sun Goes Down

Roy had awoken from his slumber early in the morning. He had to catch up on his training. He assumed Lucina would already be awake, so he set out to find her.

Of course, she was by the training grounds.

Lucina had already been awake for a few hours. She had visited Ellen and Clarine to treat the minor wound on her hip. It was healed rather quickly, so she immediately went out to train.

"I thought I would find you here, Lucina." Roy said, approaching cautiously.

As he expected, she turned with her blade aimed at him, but soon relaxed as she saw who the voice belonged to.

"Oh, Roy. My apologies. How are you faring?" Lucina asked.

"Fine, but do you remember what you told me? You said you would train me when my wounds healed. I was hoping that you would be up for that at the moment." Roy said.

"I see. Yes, of course. I would be glad to." Lucina replied.

"Great! What should we learn today?" Roy asked with excitement.

Lucina thought for a moment. He had an okay grasp on her fighting style. While it would do him good to teach him more, it would also be good for him if she witnessed his speed, as that is what their fighting style focuses heavily on.

"How about a footrace? From here to..." She pointed from the east village to the west village closest to the castle. "That village over there." Lucina said.

"Um... Sure? Why, exactly?" He asked, slightly afraid he would get left in the dust by her.

"The fighting style we use is focused mainly on speed. I have seen your footwork, now I think I must see your running speed. Jogging daily will help build your stamina and strengthen your legs, which is crucial for swordsmanship." Lucina said.

"Right... I haven't really raced anyone before. When I was little, I used to play tag with Lilina and Wolt, but besides that, nothing else." Roy said.

"That is okay. We can start now." Lucina picked up a rock. "I'm going to throw this rock. When it hits the ground, we will run, understood?"

"Got it... I am _so_ going to lose." Roy said.

Lucina smiled. "Don't worry, I will not judge you if you do. Just try your best, okay?"

"...Yeah, I know..." Roy mumbled.

"Right, here goes..." Lucina threw the rock high up into the air. They both got into ready positions. It hit the ground.

They both took off with a burst of speed, both equally matched in the beginning.

Roy was slightly struggling to keep up, but he was close behind Lucina. _'Lucina is so fast!'_ He thought.

Lucina was pleasantly surprised, she was going half speed and Roy was trailing close behind. _'He has potential to be way_ _faster than me...'_ She thought.

They were nearing the village and Lucina started picking up her speed bit by bit. Roy was nearly shoulder to shoulder with her. Roy finally decided to use the last of his reserves for a final burst of speed. Lucina did the same.

They crashed into each other. It was a tie, but Roy lost his balance, falling on top of Lucina.

"Ouch... Ah! S-sorry Lucina!" Roy quickly got up from the ground.

"Ngh... It is alright... You were quicker than I had expected." Lucina said. Roy extended a hand, which Lucina took. She dusted herself off.

"Not bad, Roy. You surprised me! You will definitely surpass me in speed soon." Lucina told him.

"You think so? You probably were going easy on me." Roy said skeptically.

"No, I promise you, I was giving it my all... Near the end..." She said.

"Aha! I knew it!"

"B-but you honestly did great! Anyways, I think that is enough for now. I want you to jog a mile a day, at least." Lucina said.

"Very we- Wait, what!?" Roy asked, dumbfounded.

"You are to jog a mile a day."

"A mile a day... Damn. I better stop slacking on Marcus's training." Roy said.

"You will be able to keep up with me. I run at least five miles a day." Lucina said.

Roy stared at her, mouth agape. "Five miles a day!? Geez! Even one mile a day is a lot for me... I'm only fifteen, you know..."

Lucina rolled her eyes. "I am sixteen. You have no excuse."

Roy groaned. "Oh, crap..."

Lucina gave a soft laugh. "Do not worry, you will definitely be able to handle it. I believe in you."

"Yeah, but I don't believe in me..." Roy said.

Lucina crossed her arms. "Would you like to spar every day instead?" She asked.

Roy recoiled. "Ah! N-no, ma'am! I believe in myself, I swear!"

Lucina wore a satisfied look. "I will have to prepare something special for our next training session. In the meantime, I will be training, myself. Farewell, Roy."

"Alright. Do you want anything to eat, Lucina? You must be hungry..."

Lucina shook her head. "No thank you, I will eat when it is necessary."

"Promise?" Roy asked with concern.

"I promise." Lucina replied.

A little reassured, but not totally convinced, he made his way to his tent. The army was resting for another day, he would have to buy supplies from the shops.

When he made it to his tent, he sat down on a chair with a sigh. He felt slight echoes of pain from his leg, but Ellen said that it would go away after a while. Running the race didn't help, but it didn't make it hurt any more or less.

His thoughts drifted to his army. What was their next move? Was Lycia, the place where he had grown up in, a safe place?

As originally planned, they would head to Ostia. He took out his maps.

They would be passing by the mountains where people seldom wanted unnecessary trouble. They would most likely have to fight in another battle, but it was the quickest route to Ostia from Laus.

Setting away his maps, he decided he would look through the inventory. He arrived at the barracks and was surprised to see Wolt there.

"Wolt? What are _you_ doing here?" Roy asked with slight confusion.

"Oh, I was just looking for a better bow, this one is about to break." He said.

Roy tossed him an iron bow. from the chest closest to him.

"There, now care to explain why you're really here?" Roy asked.

Wolt sighed. "Do I need a reason to talk with my best friend?

Roy rolled his eyes. "...No I suppose not. But what did you need?"

"Well... Word is, around the villages, there is a mysterious guy with blonde hair spouting nonsense. When I was looking through the armory shops with Cynthia, she squealed and said that the description of him sounded like her cousin." Wolt said.

"Cousin? Well, where was he last seen!?" Roy asked with excitement.

Wolt shrugged. "I dunno. He was apparently talking about some 'Fabled sword that was destined for him' or something like that."

"Thank you, Wolt. I will have to search for him. We cannot lose him, I must set out immediately. Care to come with me?" Roy asked.

"Boy, would I!" Wolt answered.

o - o - o - o

"So, this is where you last saw him?" Roy asked an elderly man who apparently saw him.

"Yes, young man. He was quite the odd fellow. He took off that way." The old man pointed to a secluded forest.

"I see. Thank you for your time." Roy said, regrouping with Wolt.

"Did you hear anything useful?" Wolt asked.

"He was apparently last spotted heading towards that forest..." Roy pointed towards the eerie scenery.

"Wow... Kinda sketchy." Wolt said.

"Yeah, you're not kidding... Very well, we shall investigate." Roy said with slight reluctance.

"Okay... Lay on, Macduff."

"What?" Roy asked, wondering where the strange phrase came from.

"Uh, Nothing. I got it from this weird text that some girl with red hair sold me." Wolt answered.

"I won't even ask. Let's just go." Roy said.

The two friends set out into the ominous forest.

As they trudged their way through the suddenly marshy grass, Wolt decided to make conversation.

"So remind me, why didn't we get the others to help?" Wolt said.

"Well, I wanted them to relax a little. We rarely have time to ourselves and I wanted them to have a little... Peace." Roy answered while swatting a fly.

"Hmph. And you wanted to come by yourself? You would have soiled your undergarments!" Wolt told Roy.

"Nonsense, I would do whatever is necessary to find this person." Roy said.

"Yeah, sure." Wolt said sarcastically.

They walked deeper in the forest, seeing no suspicious activity besides snakes, frogs, and bugs.

"Anything?" Roy asked Wolt.

"Nope." Wolt sighed. "Why did I agree to this?" he groaned out.

"Quit complaining and keep your eyes out for anything suspicious."

"Fine..." Wolt tensed.

As they stopped to look around, they heard a shout.

"What the hell was that!?" Wolt asked.

"Shh!" Roy quieted him. Wolt mouthed a 'Sorry'.

They heard a voice, they could barely make it out.

"--I hav-- fin-- Sacr--" The voice said from afar.

"Okay, who is screwing with us?" Wolt asked.

"Hush, Wolt." Roy investigated, moving closer to the voice while trying to remain quiet.

They hid in a few bushes. As they peeked out, they saw the figure was on it's knees, unmoving. It was made them uneasy.

 _'Risen?'_ Roy thought with fear.

"Roy look!" Wolt whispered.

The figure was getting back on it's feet.

"Ha! Maybe this just isn't the right one! I musn't be so down on myself!" The strange man said.

Roy gave Wolt a confused look, while Wolt shrugged.

Wolt decided to get up from the bushes they were hiding in. Roy was about to pull him back until the man spotted them from their noise.

"Who goes there!?" The man asked, turning around and drawing his blade.

"Ack! Dammit, Wolt! Don't attack, sir! We are friendly!" Roy quickly said.

The man raised an eyebrow. He suddenly gripped his blade in a reverse grip and threw it right at Wolt's face. Wolt had a shocked expression and had no time to react. His life flashed before his very eyes.

Until the blade hit something right behind him.

"W-wuh? Huh? I- I... What?!" Wolt sputtered.

"You two! Get over to me! Now!" He said.

"Right, let's go, Wolt!" Roy dragged a traumatized Wolt.

"Ha! Idiot Risen! You will be purged by Owain Dark! Prepare yourselves!" Owain said, unsheathing another sword.

Roy had no idea what he was talking about, but he confirmed his suspicions: they were Risen.

 _'Gods, just how far have they spread?!'_ Roy thought.

The three warriors' backs were against each other.

"Hmm! These Risen are stronger than the Risen from my world..." Owain said, parrying several blows from a few of the dark creatures.

"Roy! What the hell is he talking about!? What is a Risen?! His world!?" Wolt asked, panicking.

"Questions for later, friend! We must battle!"

Visibility was slightly poor, as the abundance of trees blocked out the sun. They worked together as best as they could. With Owain doing the heavy lifting. He struck with an incredible swiftness. His battle prowess rivaled that of Lucina's. But there was a roughness in his style. Little imperfections that needed to be corrected.

He struck them down, one by one. Roy was also doing well, as he relied on his senses to feel out where they were. It was a work in progress, but it was something Marcus tried to teach him. To battle without using your vision.

Wolt was still in a state of shock, but he did a relatively good job of calming himself. He eventually switched to his blade when the Risen started getting closer.

Owain slashed at a group of Risen, finishing the job. As they gathered their bearings, they spoke with each other.

"So... Who exactly are you?" Roy asked.

"Me? I am Owain Dark! The magnificent, astounding, ama- Gah! Down, sword hand! Forgive me, it wishes to do battle with you! I cannot let this meeting start off on the wrong foot."

"Right... Do you know anyone named Lucina or Cynthia?" Roy asked.

"What!? You've found my legendary cousins!?" Owain asked with astonishment.

"Yes. Ah, so it is true?" Roy asked.

"Indeed it is! Please, take me to them!" Owain said.

"Does that mean you will be joining our army?"

"Yes, I was told of a legendary mission I must accomplish, It is only achievable if I join you!" Owain claimed.

"Right... So then, shall we be going?" Roy asked.

The group set out, and Wolt walked close by Roy.

"So, care to explain?" Wolt asked Roy.

"Well... It's a long story." Roy said.

"I've got time." Wolt said.

Roy sighed. He then recounted the story of Lucina and her friends travelling from another world on the brink of destruction. He explained how they wanted to travel back in time, but had to travel to another world entirely.

"...That is quite the story." Wolt said with shock.

Roy gave a rueful laugh. "You're not kidding, Wolt... They have all been through a lot. We must make sure we find them all."

"I see. But wait... If the Risen are here too, does that mean Grima is as well?" Wolt asked.

"... I don't know. Lucina asked the same question. Grima produces the Risen, but a handful may have followed Lucina and her friends..."

"..." Wolt was uncharacteristically quiet the rest of the way.

As they made it back to camp, they saw that the sun was very young, only barely past dawn.

"Alright, Owain. We should show you around, but first, I think we should reunite you with your cousins."

"Of course! I would also want to do battle with them! My sword hand is twitching from excitement!" Owain said while holding his wrist.

"Um, yeah... So, if you son't mind me asking, what the heck were you doing in a secluded, creepy forest!?" Roy asked with confusion.

Owain stood straight and put a hand close to his face. "Hark! I've heard rumors of legendary weapons on this continent. I took the liberty of travelling through every mysterious place I could find." Owain paused.

Owain scratched the back of his head with slight embarrassment. "To be honest, that was the only mysterious place I found. But! I have found you and your army. So all is not lost!"

"I... Nevermind. Welcome aboard..." Roy said, at a loss for words.

Owain looked to the villages. "So, where are my cousins? Is she at one of the villages?" He asked.

"Oh, she's probably doing something Cynthia forced her to do." Roy answered.

"And that is...? Hm. No worries. I will find them myself. Farewell, young warrior." Owain said.

"Uh... Okay, see you later I suppose..." Roy trailed off.

Wolt finally spoke. "Roy, it has been quite a day. I think I'm gonna go take a nap."

"I understand. You shouldn't overwork yourself. Farewell."

Wolt waved to Roy after walking off. Afterwards, Roy had some free time, but he didn't know how to spend it. He spotted the ocean southwards.

Roy walked to the water's edge and gazed at the marvelous view. He sat down on the sand, staring wistfully at the horizon.

He laid on his back with his hands behind his head. His eyes were drooping. He was tired. Against his will, he dozed off into a peaceful slumber.

o - o - o - o

"Cynthia! Lucina! Gods, I am so glad I found you!" Owain said. He spotted them on the plains, heading back to camp for a meal.

"O-Owain!? Is that you!?" Cynthia asked with no small amount of shock.

"Cynthia!" Owain ran up to her. Cynthia gave him a crushing embrace, which Owain returned.

Lucina caught up with the two of them "Owain... Thank the gods..."

Owain released his embrace from Cynthia and gave Lucina a more loose embrace.

"My cousins... We have reunited!" Owain said with joy.

"My cousins, have you found any of the others?" Owain asked.

"No, unfortunately we haven't... But we're glad that you're safe!" Lucina replied.

"Where were you all this time, Owain?" Cynthia asked.

"Oh! I was looking for one of the legendary weapons rumored to be on the continent. I had no luck though." Owain answered.

"Well, we are rather famished. Would you care to join us, Owain?" Lucina asked.

"Ha! Of course! Even the great Owain Dark needs to refill his stomach. Any warrior knows not to fight with an empty gut!" Owain said.

As they made their way to the mess tent, Lucina had one more question to ask.

"Owain. How did you get here? Did someone find you?" She asked.

"Why yes, it was the Young Lion himself." He answered.

"Oh. So, Roy found you..." She made a mental note to thank Roy for his actions later.

"Yes, and his friend, Wolt." Owain continued.

"Wolt, too? Where did they find you?" Cynthia asked.

"I was in a dark forest. I figured that since it looked rather mysterious, that something was hidden there. More specifically, one of the legendary weapons I was talking about." Owain said.

Owain reluctantly spoke. "Er... You haven't found any Risen, have you?"

Lucina tensed. Cynthia bit her lip.

Lucina spoke first. "We indeed have... They are much more powerful than the ones at Ylisse... Did something go wrong? Did we unintentionally bring destruction to this world too...?"

Owain frowned. "It may just have been a few stragglers that followed us. It may not be anything serious."

"Yeah but-" Lucina froze.

 _'If Risen are appearing... If they followed us... Does that mean...?'_ Lucina let out a sharp gasp.

"Anna!" She exclaimed.

"W-what!?" Cynthia asked.

"I-If they followed us... Does that mean Anna has fallen!?" Lucina asked in despair.

Lucina's heart stopped.

"N-now cousins, we musn't think of the worst! It could be a different gate..." Owain said, hope slowly fading from him.

They were silent. Lucina excused herself, she suddenly didn't feel like eating. Cynthia decided to stay with Owain.

"We should probably give her some time. This... Is quite the revelation for me, too."

"Right... Well then, shall we go?" Owain said shakily.

Cynthia nodded. They made their way to the mess tent.

o - o - o - o

Lucina made her way back to the training grounds. She brought out a training dummy. Whenever she was 'dueling with unpleasant thoughts' as her father would say, she enjoyed using something to take her anger out on.

She bashed the training dummy with her practice sword mercilessly. She was told that she was as good at breaking things as her father. She thought better this time, though. She decided to quit early, as to not utterly destroy it.

She sat down on a crate, examining Falchion, then looked to the sky. The sun was gradually rising, slightly past morning. She was at a loss for what to do.

She then heard noises coming from nearby. When she looked to her right, she saw a man practicing with a dummy. It was Rutger.

He had a mix of skill, speed, strength, and endurance. He would make an excellent addition to the army. She must have been staring, because he called out to her.

"...So, are you going to practice yourself, or are you just going to stare?" He deadpanned.

"O-oh, my apologies. I was just curious about your fighting style. You remind me of the Chon'sin." She said.

"Is that so? Who are these 'Chon'sin?'" Rutger asked.

She cursed herself, remembering that they knew nothing about her home. "Nevermind, forget what I said." She eventually finished.

"Now that I think about it, I have never seen you fight. Would you be up for a sparring match?" Rutger asked.

"Of course." Lucina said.

Rutger wasted no time tossing her a practice blade from the chest. Any normal person would have dropped the blade, as she was looking in the opposite direction, setting down Falchion. But as soon as she turned around, she managed to catch it perfectly.

"Hm... Nicely done. I was testing your reflexes. You look like royalty, what with that circlet you have." Rutger said.

Lucina was silent.

"Not talking, huh? Fine by me." Rutger said.

"First to yield, got it? Begin!" Rutger said as he charged her.

She intercepted his blow with a parry, she retaliated with a horizontal slash to the chest. It missed her target, but managed to nick his arm.

He rubbed his arm, then stepped back into an offensive stance. He ran up to her with surprising speed and attempted to attack with a feint. She did not fall for it, as a feint was something she practiced countering and using with Cynthia earlier. Though it was still a work in progress.

Instead, she rolled to the side and slashed a surprise attack at his legs. It hit him in the back of his knees, causing him to lose his footing for a moment.

It was all Lucina needed to get behind him to sweep him off his feet. She wrestled the blade from his hand and threw it to the ground. Lucina put her blade to his neck.

"Whew... Not bad, lady. I yield." He admitted.

 _'My pride... It stings a little, being brought down by a princess...'_ Rutger thought.

"Just who are you?" Rutger asked her.

"..." She was silent.

"Fine... You know, I would be up for sparring matches, I am always trying to improve. Defeating Bern is my number one priority right now." Rutger said.

"I see. Very well, I accept your sparring match requests." Lucina finally spoke.

"Great. Now if you'll excuse me, I am starving. Catch you later." He said, walking away.

"..." Lucina kept quiet.

She sighed to herself. She felt uneasy around people she didn't know. Roy and Wolt tried helping her be more social, but it only helped so much. She was struggling to make simple conversation with other people. She even struggled talking with Wolt and Roy to some extent.

She felt close to Roy, but sometimes it was hard to look at him. She had no idea why, but she always felt a tingly feeling in her chest around him. It made her stutter and mumble when she talked with him.

She was slightly warming to Wolt. He reminded her of Cynthia. Loud, outgoing, and he had a love for talking about relationships, according to Roy.

 _'He sort of reminds me of Severa in that area.'_ She thought. She would never admit it, but Severa was supposedly experienced with that sort of thing, as well as Cynthia.

It may take time to forge strong bonds with the army, but Roy told her he would help her in any way he could.

She looked to the sky. It looked to be around noon. She was again at a loss for what to do. She decided to follow Rutger to the mess tent, it had been quite a while since she had eaten.

She shuddered. She remembered why she had lost her appetite. She tried to shake the thoughts away, but they kept coming back. Guilt, despair, and anger.

She reluctantly went to the mess tent.

o - o - o - o

Roy woke from his sleep. He groggily rubbed his eyes. He took a moment to process where exactly he was. Groaning, he stood up.

Roy took a second to stretch. His stomach growled. _'Yup... Time to eat.'_ He looked to the sun, which was around an hour into noon. The chefs were likely serving dinner by now.

Sighing, he made his way to the mess tent.

o - o - o - o

When Roy arrived, it was rather crowded, as nearly the whole army was present. Roy was greatly surprised to see Lucina there as well. She usually skipped mealtime with everyone else, she preferred waiting until everyone else had cleared out.

But no, there she was, sitting by herself. Roy grabbed a plate of food and immediately went to sit at an empty chair next to her.

"Hello, Lucina. Mind if I sit here?" Roy asked politely.

"Roy? No, not at all." Lucina answered.

Roy gave her a concerned glance. She had barely touched her food. Knowing something was amiss, he decided to have small talk with her.

"So, how was your time spent with Cynthia today?" Roy asked.

"Good... It was rather uneventful, but I enjoyed it nonetheless." Lucina answered.

"Oh, really? What did you two do?" Roy asked curiously.

Lucina picked at her food with her fork. "We just practiced our sword techniques and looked at some flowers. It was nothing much, but it reminded me of my home all those years ago..." She said, slightly tearfully.

"Lucina, if there is something wrong, you can tell me. Remember, I will always lend an ear." Roy said.

Lucina hesitated. She sighed. "I did not tell you exactly how I got here. May we move somewhere more private?"

"Sure."

Roy took their plates with them to his tent. They were silent on the way.

When they arrived, Roy put the plates on his desk and sealed the tent from prying ears.

Roy let her explain at her own pace.

She slowly began retelling the story of how she met Anna, and of the outrealm gate.

"...And if the Risen are here, Anna may have fallen!" Lucina said in despair.

Anna. That name struck a chord with Roy. Nevertheless, he tried calming Lucina. "Lucina, this Anna person sounds like she knows what she's doing. If she survived this whole time, how could she have died?" He questioned.

"Maybe Grima followed us..." Lucina said.

Roy sighed. She was pessimistic, but he couldn't blame her, coming from a world she described. "You said he was a deity, right? Maybe he had his own gate...?" Roy added hopefully.

"I don't know..." Lucina put her hands over her face.

Roy wished he could embrace her and tell her not to worry, that everything would turn out okay. Unfortunately, it wasn't within his boundaries. He figured she only saw him as a friend.

Regardless, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Lucina, we cannot let a setback like this keep us from pressing on. If she was truly... Killed, we must avenge her, right? She would want us to fight on, not to give up."

Lucina was quiet. Roy, knowing she needed time, gave her a quick farewell and excused himself.

He needed to find a way to cheer her up, or at the very least, make her forget about the recent revelation.

Reluctantly, he made his way to Cynthia, hoping to be informed of some of Lucina's interests.

o - o - o - o

When he was looking for Cynthia, he was thinking of the mysterious person Lucina was talking about. _'Anna, Anna... That name sounds very familiar. Didn't my father... I dunno.'_ He thought.

He managed to find Cynthia in the barracks, she was speaking with Wolt about who knows what.

"...And I was thinking of a more colorful approach to it. Maybe more petals..." Roy heard Cynthia say.

"Good evening, you two. I hope i'm not interrupting anything." Roy said while approaching them.

"Oh! Not at all, what's going on?" Wolt asked.

"I was wondering if I could talk to Cynthia for a second." Roy said.

"Of course! Shall we?" Cynthia asked.

Roy and Cynthia went outside while Wolt sat on a chair, waiting for Cynthia. However, Wolt had an idea...

"So, what can I do for you, Roy?" Cynthia asked.

Roy nervously scratched the back of his head. He didn't want to seem like a creep. "Well... I was wondering if you could tell me some of Lucina's interests."

Cynthia's expression brightened with a mischievous smile. "Oh, really!? So why do you ask?"

Roy blinked. "I just wanted to cheer her up, she told me what might have happened with Anna."

Cynthia immediately turned dour. "Right. I understand. She doesn't have too many hobbies or anything... She likes stargazing. I suppose she would like shopping. We would have gone, but we didn't want to waste the army's funds for frivolous things."

"I see. I will keep that in mind. Maybe I could pay out of my own pocket..." Roy said.

"You could also spar with her! She likes a good challenge." Cynthia said.

Roy cringed. "W-well, I don't think I am a challenge for her quite yet... I will consider it, though."

"Sorry, but that was all I could think of. She doesn't ask for much." Cynthia said.

"No worries. I think I will take her shopping. I appreciate it, Cynthia."

"No problem. See ya!"

After Roy left to search for Lucina, Wolt came out of hiding.

"So it's official, right? He likes her!" Wolt said.

"Perhaps." Cynthia said, expecting Wolt to eavesdrop. "But I am not so sure if she returns those feelings. She hides her emotions rather well, so it was kind of hard to tell."

"Ha! That rhymes!" Wolt said.

Cynthia facepalmed.

o - o - o - o

Lucina was sitting on the edge of a plateau. She looked at the marvelous view. The sun was low on the horizon. It appeared to be afternoon. She sat there, enjoying the view.

She heard footsteps from behind her. Her head quickly whipped around. She turned back around when she saw her guest.

Roy, after a little searching, found Lucina perched upon the plateau where the nearby village was in ruins.

"Roy. Did you need something?" She asked with little emotion.

Roy was a bit nervous of his request. "Ah... I was wondering if you wanted to go into one of the villages for some shopping." Roy told her.

She turned back around. "What? But isn't that a waste of the army's funds?"

"Well, I'm going to pay for what you want with my own money." Roy said.

"What!? Roy, you can't do that!" Lucina said, shocked at the idea.

"Well, why not? I'm not using the army's funds. I would be glad to buy you something.

"...Why?" Lucina asked.

Roy was reluctant to give the real reason, as it would defeat the purpose of taking her shopping in the first place. He gave the truth anyway, but he didn't mention Anna.

"Well... I just thought that you could use some cheering up... So, do you want to go?" Roy asked.

"...I would be delighted to go shopping with you." She complied.

"Great! Shall we, then?" Roy led her to the nearest village.

Meanwhile, in some bushes, two mysterious figures were tailing them.

o - o - o - o

When they arrived at the village, Roy asked Lucina where she wanted to go first.

"Hmm... Oh! How about there?" She asked, pointing to a clothing store.

"Sure."

The village streets were bustling with activity, and people were saying their hellos and farewells as they passed by each other. They didn't have to worry about attracting attention because there were so many people.

When they made it to the clothing store, Roy opted to help her look for anything she liked. But he didn't know much about fashion, so he decided to just let her do her thing. Lucina went into a changing tent with a dress she picked out.

What he saw afterwards made him regret letting her pick out her own dress.

"Well, Roy? What do you think?" She asked.

Roy choked back a gag. "U-um... It looks..." It was awful. It had the weirdest combination of colors that made his stomach hurl. Though it fit nicely on her. And she also took off the bindings on her chest...

 _'Gods! What the hell am I thinking!?'_ Roy pushed that thought away.

"Roy?" Lucina asked, afraid of his answer.

"Oh. It looks... Interesting." Roy vaguely answered.

Lucina sighed. "So you _do_ hate it... My apologies. Maybe this was a bad idea."

Roy laughed. "Lucina, don't be silly, even if I don't like something, that doesn't mean you shouldn't like that thing. Maybe I can help you out this time. C'mon, lets look for something else."

They spent a while looking over dresses that looked rather dull and bland.

However, one dress in particular caught both of their eyes.

"Hey, Lucina! Look at this!" Roy said, grabbing the dress on the rack.

"Wow... That looks..." Lucina trailed off.

It was an elegant white dress with open shoulders and a decorative belt across the waist. It was nothing amazing, but it was the best they could find.

"Here, try it." Roy offered.

Lucina hesitantly took the offered dress and went back into the tent.

 _'That was quite the dress... I wonder how it'll look on her...'_ Roy thought with slight impatience.

Lucina was uneasy with the dress on. She felt rather vulnerable, which was a feeling she always hated. But she decided to endure it.

"R-Roy... I'm coming out..." She said.

"Okay. Well, let's see it."

Lucina reluctantly walked out of the tent and Roy was awestruck.

Thoughts and words failed him as he gawked at an uncomfortable Lucina.

"R-Roy, how is the dress?" She asked shyly.

"W-wha... I-It... Gods..." Roy couldn't muster a response right away. He was blushing, but he didn't care.

"It looks absolutely beautiful on you! We should definitely buy it!" Roy exclaimed.

"Th-thank you, Roy." She said with a smile.

Seeing she was uncomfortable, he told her to change back into her normal clothing.

When she came back, she gave Roy the dress so he could pay for it.

Roy was talking with the shopkeeper for the price.

"Right, so how much for the dress?" Roy asked him.

"Oh, about 65,000 gold pieces." He answered quietly, barely more than a whisper.

Roy recoiled in shock. He looked behind him and saw Lucina look up to him in confusion, she obviously didn't hear the price of the dress.

"Gods..." Roy said, running a hand through his hair.

He reluctantly took out bags of coins he brought from his tent. He gulped and set them on the counter.

Lucina arrived with a look of confusion. "Roy? Just how much was the dress?" She asked cautiously.

"Ah, Lucina... Um, would you mind waiting outside?" He asked.

"Roy? Tell me, please!" She insisted with concern.

Roy shifted his weight to his other leg. "Don't worry about it..." He said.

"Roy, I-"

"Here you are! An excellent choice, it was modeled after the Queen of Bern's dress during the scouring." The shopkeeper said while handing him the box with the dress inside.

"Right. Thank you." Roy said, while taking his bags back. Several were empty, while the others were full.

Roy led Lucina outside. She looked guilty.

"What's the matter, Lucina?" He asked, knowing she felt bad about the price of the dress.

"It's just that... You do so much for me... But I don't really have much to do for you. I want you to know that I appreciate it, and if you need anything at all, let me know." She said truthfully.

Roy smiled. "Well, we can go to a restuarant if you like. You haven't eaten, and neither have I. We just get something to eat."

"Roy... You don't have to..." She trailed off.

"Please, it's no trouble, I am quite wealthy, so I can pay for it. Don't feel guilty. You are a valued friend." Roy said.

Something about what he said made her disappointed for some reason. She frowned. "Very well..."

The two figures hiding behind houses laughed and fist bumped.

o - o - o - o

When they arrived at a decently sophisticated restaurant, they sat at a spot with little occupants.

They ordered seafood and a couple steaks. They were rather hungry, as they hadn't eaten since the day before.

"So Lucina, I hear you like stargazing. Is this true?" Roy asked, taking a bite of his salmon.

Lucina looked at him with surprise. "Did Cynthia tell you that? Yes, I do. I don't know why, but they felt like a symbol of hope. It was something Grima couldn't take from us. Though they do seem a whole lot brighter here..."

"I see. I like stargazing as well, it can be quite the sight." Roy said.

For hours, they sat talking with each other. They spoke of their interests and ambitions. Roy decided to order dessert. Lucina tried to protest, but Roy would have none of that.

As they finished their meal, they left after Roy paid the bill.

Roy saw the sunset fall upon the hill.

 _'Nighttime already? It didn't even feel like an hour!'_ Roy thought with surprise.

"Roy, I... Thank you. Words cannot express how grateful I am." Lucina said. She walked up to him and gave him an embrace.

Roy, rather dumbfounded, awkwardly returned the embrace. He wore a giddy smile. He hoped she couldn't feel his heartbeat rapidly pounding in his chest.

"Goodnight, Roy. Thank you again for today." Lucina said with a smile.

Roy blushed. "Y-yes, you're welcome. Good night, Lucina." He stuttered.

Lucina found his shyness endearing. She quickly shoved those thoughts aside. She gave him a small wave and made her way to her tent.

 _'Gods... She is truly... amazing...'_ Roy thought while looking to the astounding view of the sunset.

He sat on the grass, hoping to remember this day for the rest of his life.

Wolt and Cynthia walked up to Roy.

"Gods, Roy! What did you two do for so long that made you impossible to find for hours?!" Wolt asked with fake shock.

Roy recoiled. "Nothing indecent! Don't get any wrong ideas!"

"Yeah right! I saw Lucina walking to her tent with a box. Was that a dress?" Cynthia playfully asked.

"Yes." Roy answered. They laughed. "But! We are just friends, nothing more!" He continued.

Wolt rolled his eyes. "Sure, Roy. Tell me that dress she had didn't make you absolutely speechless. Tell me that dinner you had with her didn't make her smile and laugh. Tell me..."

"...You don't love her." He finished.

Roy bit his lip. _'So that was why I felt like someone was watching us... It was...'_

"Why were you two spying on us?" Roy asked as calmly as possible.

"Well, she is my sister! I wanted to see for myself if you like her. And vice versa." Cynthia said.

Roy looked to Wolt. He put his hands up defensively. "Hey, don't look at _me_... I was just a little curious."

"So, that's all? You two..." Roy trailed off.

"That isn't a yes or no!" Cynthia exclaimed with a sing-song voice.

"And I'm not answering. I will leave what you think up to you two. Good day." Roy said, quickly walking away.

"Hey, wait! We were just kidding! We want to help you out! Right, Cynthia?" Wolt asked.

Cynthia groaned. "Just leave him be. We'll catch him red-handed another time."

"Okay. Well, now what?" Wolt asked.

"Um... Sleep?" She replied.

"Oh, right. Goodnight, Cynthia." Wolt said.

"Right..." She said, looking in the direction of her sister's tent.

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: Well, I hope once a week is okay with you guys.**

 **I don't have much to say about this chapter. Sooo... I like chicken nuggets.**

 **I don't know why, but whenever I read Rutger's lines, I picture Johnny Yong Bosch saying it. You know, Ichigo, Nero?Yeah, that guy. That voice kinda suits Rutger.**

 **Wait... Now that I think about it, that voice also kinda fits Roy too. Huh...**

 **The dress? Well, it is the dress from the official soundtrack art. I probably didn't describe it well... I got the idea from 'Cold Tea' A RobinxLucina fic. Go check it out if you haven't, it is my favorite RobiLuci fic, not gonna lie.**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	11. Happy Tears

Roy was in the command tent, making sure the army was stocked with everything they needed before they set out for the mountains.

 _'But... What about...?'_ Roy was struggling to remember his whole army's inventory.

He sighed. He had already triple checked. There wasn't a shadow of doubt in his mind they would get into a battle.

 _'Lances... Swords... Yes...'_ Roy was feeling out of his mind.

As if he were answered from a prayer, Wolt walked in.

"Oh, how are you, my friend?" Wolt asked.

"Thank the gods..." Roy mumbled.

Wolt gave a confused look. "What?"

"Oh, its just that... I wonder if I'm doing things right. I suppose I just need someone to talk to at the moment."

Wolt blinked. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking side to side. "We are all still very much alive, so it seems. I think that you're doing just fine."

Roy gave another sigh. "I'm aware. But what if I mess up? As the leader, I must take care of any cracks in the seams. It may prove to be too much to handle..."

Wolt groaned in annoyance. "Roy, when will you learn? We are all here for you, you aren't in this alone. Hell no. Any duties you don't feel like doing? Put that up to us."

"I don't want to come off as lazy..."

"And I know you won't, but you must know your limits. Heh, the irony. just yesterday, you told _me_ not to overwork yourself. I think you should also follow your own advice." Wolt said confidently.

"...Right..." Roy grew slightly nervous at the mention of the day before.

Wolt awkwardly cleared his throat. "So uh, I better get goin'. March and stuff, right? Right. See ya."

Wolt quickly left, not wanting to sour Roy's mood.

 _'...Well, that was a nice distraction while it lasted..."_ Roy went back to sorting the inventory.

o - o - o - o

When the Pherae army were finished storing their possessions, they set out for the mountains. Roy made sure everybody in the army was armed to the teeth, and the healers were heavily guarded.

 _'Everyone here?'_ Roy began a mental roll call, slightly paranoid.

"Phew." Roy wiped the sweat forming on his forehead after he made sure everyone was accounted for. _'Why was I so afraid?'_ Shrugging it off, he made the order for the army to move out.

During the march, Roy was rather quiet. He was constantly checking all sides of the army, as if expecting something to happen. Though he didn't realize it, someone else did.

"Er... Are you well, Roy?" Lucina asked worriedly.

Roy slightly jumped at the sound of her voice. "Whoa!... Oh, it's you, Lucina. Wh-what can I do for you?" He stuttered.

Tilting her head at his strange behavior, she replied. "Well, it's just that you seem very nervous."

"Nervous? No way. I'm fine, trust me."

"Right. You looked as if you were being hunted by a group of assassins. No need to worry I suppose." Lucina said, crossing her arms.

Roy mentally sighed. _'So she picked up on Wolt's sarcasm... Great.'_

"Uh... Its nothing, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? Don't hesitate to ask for help. Please, I'm with you, I can help with anything." Lucina said, worry taking over yet again.

Feeling his heartrate skyrocket as usual with her, he quickly turned his head. "Yeah... Y-yeah... Thank you..." He mumbled.

Lucina sighed. She knew she probably wouldn't get anywhere anytime soon, so she decided to let it go for the moment.

She chose to meet up with Cynthia, who was relatively close by. She saw her on her pegasus near Merlinus's carriage.

"How are you, Cynthia?"

"Oh! Lucy! I'm doing good. Marching is as boring as ever, you know."

"You will have to go scouting ahead in a bit, right?" Lucina asked.

"Yup, don't worry, I'll be safe. I'll be as stealthy as a barbarian!" Cynthia said.

"How reassuring... Don't do anything crazy, got it?" Lucina said seriously.

"Yes, I promise." Cynthia replied.

o - o - o - o

 _Meanwhile, at a nearby village..._

"Hey, boss! Our guys came back from the village!" A barbarian said.

"Oh really? Then I suppose we can go on our usual visit down the village and take the loot." The leader said.

"Boss, somethin's different though. I saw an army 'round here! They look like Lycia's troops." The henchman said.

"Lycia?" The leader thought for a moment. "Well, that shouldn't be too much a problem. They have to be the leftovers of the army that got their ass handed to them by Bern. If they are, we're in the clear."

The henchman nodded. "Yeah, boss!"

The leader rubbed his chin. "It would be for the best if we took our precautions. Let's see if we can take loot from them too!"

The leader shouted to his men. "Alright boys! Let's take em' on!"

o - o - o - o

The Army was drawing near a village, which was either dangerous or beneficial. As that was where trouble occured.

Roy was crossing his fingers that nothing bad happened or would happen. "Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods..."

As they arrived at the village, Merlinus immediately had news for the young lord.

"Master Roy, a villager requested to see you. Hey, you, wait just a moment..." The villager ran past Merlinus.

"Are you Roy, from the Pherae family!?" The villager asked hopefully.

 _'Dammit...'_ "Yes, how may I help you?" Roy responded.

"Sir! There are bandits here, we wish for you to defeat them!"

 _'Well, that's not good...'_ "Bandits? Where?"

"There is a pack of bandits that made their way into the base of an old castle near the cliffs." The villager said.

 _'And that's even worse...'_ "And the castle guards? Where are they?" Roy asked.

"They fled when they heard the news of Lycia's loss against Bern... Us villagers were left behind. We spend our days in fear of bandit attacks."

 _'I just can't forget about Araphen, can I?'_ Roy thought.

"We have no one else to ask." The villager continued. "Please help us!"

"Master Roy, it would be best if we kept our pace towards Ostia." Merlinus said.

"I understand. But these people need help, and we are able to help, so why should we ignore them?" Roy said.

"Master Roy!?" Merlinus exclaimed with shock.

The villager smiled with joy. "You will help us!? Thank you! We will spare resources. Also, please make use of the gate, it will take you right next to the castle."

Roy nodded. "Alright, thanks."

The villager made his way to make arrangements for the use of the gates.

Merlinus gave a disapproving look while Roy shrugged.

"Sorry, but it just doesn't feel right to leave people who need help. Now, I believe we have a job to do!" Roy said.

"Sigh*... So full of energy when you're young..." Merlinus said exhaustedly.

Roy smiled. He ran to the rest of the army.

"Okay, everyone! I hope you all have some fight left in you! There are some villagers who need help with a bandit problem. around those cliffs, there is a castle. That is where we strike. A group is going to use the gate while another group will follow the path up north, got it? Move out when I call your name!" Roy started pointing to troops, assigning them to a certain area.

"Cynthia, Wolt, Marcus, and Owain. You'll be using the gate! Lucina, Rutger, Dieck, you're with me! Lets go!"

Marcus was especially surprised. _'Heh, it appears he is adapting quite well to the role of a leader... Lord Eliwood would be proud.'_

o - o - o - o

 _Meanwhile, at a nearby church..._

"Thank you, Dorothy. Please tell Saul as well." An elderly Bishop said to Dorothy.

"You're welcome, Bishop Yodel, and I will." She replied.

She walked off, searching for Saul. _'But where did Father Saul go?'_ She sighed. _'How am I supposed to protect him if he keeps disappearing?'_

"Um... Father Saul, I appreciate the offer, but maybe not today." A young woman said to him.

"Oh come now, don't be so cold. I'm sure we can sit comfortably tonight while you listen to my preaching..." Saul said seductively.

"Uh..."

"Father Saul! There you are!" Dorothy yelled.

"Wha? Dorothy?" Saul sputtered.

"Er... Well then, good day." The woman ran away.

"Huh? Wait, come back!" Saul called out, but was left without a response.

"*Sigh... Now look at what you've done, Dorothy. She left because you came upon us with such a scary look on your face."

"Hey! This is the face I was born with! Father Saul, you were hitting on another girl." She said accusingly.

"Hey, you make it sound evil, but I assure you, my intentions were pure. I was simply offering help to a poor soul in need.

"Just put that on hold, will you?" She said.

"Fine, fine. Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Saul asked.

"Well, the Lycia Alliance is supposed to be around here somewhere..." Dorothy said.

"What!? Hold, Princess Guinevere is still with them, is she not?" Saul asked worriedly.

Dorothy rolled her eyes. "Yes, if the reports from the Elmine Church are correct."

Saul grinned with excitement. "Hurry then! We must join that army!"

"..." Dorothy stood still.

"Hm? What's the matter?" Saul asked.

"You want to join only because Princess Guinevere is sooo beautiful, am I right?"

He sighed. "Don't be ridiculous... Come on, we must make haste."

She perked up. "Yes sir!"

o - o - o - o

"Alright... These guys are no joke..." Roy said while hacking away at a bandit.

"It seems... Hah! That the skill of our foes is increasing at an alarming rate..." Lucina said.

"Heh, I could... Yah! Do this all day!" Rutger said.

"Don't lie. You are getting exhausted." Dieck spoke.

"Oh really? Then let's see who keels over first!" Said Rutger.

Roy ignored them, looking to see how many bandits were on the path. "Hey, I see a village! We should visit them after the battle. Ah!" Roy was attacked by a mercenary.

"Roy!" Lucina quickly jumped in front of the strike, blocking it. She made quick work of him, slicing his chest.

"*Sigh... Sorry, Lucina. I guess I always have to be saved..." Roy said.

Lucina shook her head. "Don't worry about it, you have improved and will further improve at your swordsmanship. Hurry now, we must finish this battle."

"Right, sorry." Roy said.

Lucina jumped back into the fray, taking out enemies near the village.

Rutger and Dieck held their ground further in, waiting for Roy and Lucina. Roy and Lucina regrouped with them and they set out towards the castle.

o - o - o - o

Cynthia led her group to the gate. She was speaking with the villager controlling the gate.

"Oh, its you guys. Okay, hang on a sec, I'll open the gate for you..."

This greatly surprised the bandits, as they were ignorant there was a gate.

"What the hell!?" The bandit boss exclaimed with shock.

"There was a gate there? Crafty bastards... Everyone! we're being flanked! regroup at the castle!" He yelled to his henchman that were leaving to fight off Roy's group.

Cynthia realized the opportunity at hand, their forces were temporarily split. She decided to do a all-out charge.

"Everyone! Now's our chance!" Owain swiftly jumped on her Pegasus, then she led the charge, ramming into a few bandits with her Pegasus.

Wolt jumped on Marcus's horse and launched arrows at any enemy he saw. Though there weren't many left, what with Owain's prowess with his blade, quickly taking out every bandit in his path. Soon, there was only the boss left.

"Hurgh... Dammit... Tch, no one has ever stayed standing after takin' one of my blows! How about we test if you can?" He said to Owain, who jumped off Cynthia's Pegasus to confront the boss.

Owain chuckled. "So it appears you have never heard of me. Me, Owain Dark! If you didn't know me before, you will forever know my name in the afterlife." He said.

The Bandit boss gulped. "Y-you think you're scary? You obviously ain't heard o' me! Come get some!" The Bandit charged at Owain.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk... A fatal mistake..." Owain said. Owain dodged the strike with his reflexes that were well known amongst his friends for being near-superhuman level.

"H-huh...?" The Bandit boss was close to soiling himself.

"Hah! And I hoped for a challenge. Oh well, I suppose there are plenty of fish in the sea. Farewell!" Owain quickly turned around and stabbed him through the heart.

"Gah...! N-no... I don't... Wanna die..." He collapsed to the ground.

"Hmph." Owain cleaned his blade of the blood. He looked around for Cynthia who he assumed was scouting for hidden enemies. He spotted her speaking with Lucina and the rest of her group. They had cleared the Bandits in their path.

"Cousins! I have defeated the enemy leader!" He shouted to them.

"Great job, Owain! The others are catching up." Cynthia said.

Roy, Rutger, and Dieck ran up to where they were, completely out of breath.

"*Huff, Huff! Lucina! Don't just...Huff. Leave us like that!" Roy said bending over to catch his breath.

"D-damn it. Why are you so fast...?" Rutger said.

"Maybe you need more training." Dieck suggested to Rutger.

"Oh, ha ha. You don't look so great either, tough guy." Rutger replied.

"Hmph."

Roy stepped forward. "So, the bandit leader?"

"Taken care of." Owain spoke.

"Great, nice one, team. I'm going to go take care of the castle. You guys regroup with the others, we will not waste time. We are marching as soon as possible." Roy said.

They nodded, taking off to regroup with the others. Roy was about to leave until Lucina grabbed his shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't want backup just in case?" She asked, remembering what happened the last time he was left alone.

Roy rolled his eyes. "C'mon, I'll be fine, don't worry."

Lucina put her arms at her sides, looking to the ground giving a dejected look.

Roy sighed. "Fine, I suppose you could come."

"Thank you." She perked up with a smile.

 _'How does she have so much control over me...?'_ Roy thought with exasperation.

They made their way to the castle, and surprisingly, Merlinus was already there.

Roy was confused. "Um, Merlinus? How did you get here so quickly?"

"Master Roy, that isn't important right now. However, a priest from the Elimine Church is looking for you... And Princess Guinevere!" He said.

"Huh? Where is Princess Guinevere?" Roy asked. Merlinus pointed to her. "How did... You know what? Nevermind. Anyway, How did this Priest know that Princess Guinevere was with us?"

Merlinus shook his head. "I'm afraid I do not know..."

"I'll speak with him myself. Where is he?" Roy asked. Merlinus pointed behind himself.

Guinevere stopped him from proceeding, however. "Roy, if you don't mind, I would also like to meet this priest."

Roy shrugged. "Alright, but stay close. We have no idea who this guy is. Lucina, I would like you to hide somewhere close and strike if this guy tries anything."

Lucina tilted her head in confusion. _'Why is he being so paranoid? We're only meeting with a priest..._

She supposed it didn't hurt to be prepared for anything, so she hid behind a pillar.

"Merlinus, let him pass, now."

"Of course."

Merlinus moved out of the way, and out came a priest with purplish hair who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties.

"Ah, Master Roy! It is a pleasure to meet you at last." He greeted.

He bowed with flourish. "I am Saul, a priest of the Elimine Church as you may have heard." He extended a hand which Roy took.

"Nice to meet you." Roy said casually.

Saul looked over Guinevere. "And also... You must be Princess Guinevere, correct? You are as beautiful as the rumors tell, nay, even more so!"

"U-uh... Thank you...?" She replied with confusion.

"Ahem... Anyway, your Highness, I wish to know the location of the 'Fire Emblem'. It is with you as we speak, is it not?" Saul questioned with a soft look.

Guinevere recoiled with shock. "What!? H-how did you know that!?"

Roy looked confused however.

Saul continued. "The head Church in Bern informed us that the mysterious Fire Emblem had mysteriously disappeared from the temple of seals. Not only that, but they also informed me that you left at exactly the same time. So, does that sound suspicious to you?"

"..." Guinevere was silent.

Saul continued yet again. "I was sent by the Church to confirm this mystery, so it appears it was true. Answer me this this: Why did you take the Fire Emblem?

"I... I wished to stop my brother." She responded.

"You wished to stop Zephiel, the King of Bern?" Saul rubbed his chin in thought. "Do you know what the Fire Emblem is used for?"

"Of course. The Fire Emblem is a key that awakens the sword that was used to slay the mighty Dragons in the past. Or, that was what my father told me. I am unsure of how exactly they work, though. The possibility of the Fire Emblem falling into enemy hands seemed to concern my brother... A lot." Guinevere finished.

"And so you took it, hoping to make your brother believe it had indeed fallen into enemy hands so that he would stop his conquest?" Saul questioned.

"Correct... But it appears that didn't work..."

"I see... As a representative of the Elimine Church, I musk ask this: What do you plan to do from here?"

"..." She was silent.

Saul motioned for her to answer.

"...Must I answer at this moment?"

"So your highness does have a plan?"

"Yes, I have not given up hope of settling this war without bloodshed."

"But, it seems there has already been plenty of bloodshed, and mostly the countries Bern has conquered. I would like to join you to fight in your cause."

"Very well." Roy answered. "Uh, go ahead, the rest of the army is that way." Roy pointed.

Saul bowed and left to regroup with the army.

"Okay, Lucina. We're fine now." Roy said.

"What he mentioned was interesting. Princess Guinevere, it was called the Fire Emblem, correct?" Lucina asked.

Guinevere nodded. "Yes, it's purpose is for the Sword that was used for slaying Dragons in the scouring."

Lucina closed her eyes in thought. _'Could I tell them? I can trust them, at least Roy.'_

"Well, Princess Guinevere, I don't know if Roy has told you yet, but I come from a different world. I am the Princess of Ylisse, or the Exalt."

"What!? But how did...?" Guinevere was at a loss for words.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Exalt? What is that?"

"Oh, forgive me. It means I am the current ruler of Ylisse. A Queen if you will." Lucina explained.

"Q-Queen!?" Roy was absolutely taken aback. He had no idea his friend was such a high status. Suddenly he felt out of place. both of them were of much higher social status.

 _'Um... I'm not so sure what to do...'_ Roy just decided to let her explain.

"Anyway, in my world, we have a Fire Emblem as well."

Guinevere looked like she was about to faint.

"It has a different purpose, however. Forgive me, but I don't think I trust you with this information, Princess Guinevere."

"Oh, no worries. I do not think I could handle the information anyway."

Roy spoke up. "I will talk with you during the march Lucina. This seems like a lot to take in."

"Of course. I will meet up with Cynthia and the others. Farewell Roy." Roy gave her a small wave and she departed.

"..." Guinevere still had no words.

"So. You have the Fire Emblem?" Roy said.

"Forgive me for not saying. We should really go though..." Guinevere quickly walked away to join with the rest of the army.

"...What a day. There are two Fire Emblems." Roy looked side to side. He crossed his fingers that there weren't any Risen close by.

"Yeah, I should probably get going, too." Roy ran to the rest of the army.

o - o - o - o

After taking Saul, a priest of the Elimine Church, and Dorothy, his bodyguard, Roy's army crossed the mountains without issue and entered Thria lands. Located southeast of Ostia, this country is governed by Lord Orun, a half brother to Lord Hector.

It seemed to be a safe place for Roy and his army to stay.

However, Bern's reach extended to Thria as well.

o - o - o - o

 _During the march..._

"A shield, huh?" Roy asked.

"Correct. The Fire Emblem, or the shield of seals, holds five gemstones; Sable, Vert, Azure, Argent, and Gules. At a young age, we are taught how to perform the Awakening."

"I see. What is the Awakening?"

"A sacred rite that calls upon Naga that supposedly gives Ylisse royalty the power of a god. I have only heard from stories, however. And it hasn't been performed in over a thousand years." Lucina said.

Roy rubbed the back of his head. _'So not only is my friend a Queen, but she can obtain the power of a god?'_ He wondered just how deep the story of the previous Exalts went.

"But... During our search, we couldn't find Vert. We supposed maybe it was lost."

"Lost? How?" Roy asked.

"I... I don't know. It may have been destroyed or fell into an unretrieveable area. We couldn't find it wherever we looked."

"Darn... So what did you try to do afterwards?"

"We... Hoped that Naga could do something, anything. But we were too late."

Roy rubbed his chin in deep thought. "So how will we take down Grima?"

Lucina perked up at that. "So you'll help us!?"

"Of course. You all had your childhoods and your world taken from you. I wish to help in any way I can. Besides, this concerns us now, Marcus told me of Risen attacks occurring more frequently. If Grima is the source, we have no choice but to take him out."

Lucina sighed. "You make it all sound so easy..."

"I have to stay optimistic, who knows what will happen." Roy said.

"I cannot thank you enough you have done so much for me. I wish there was some way I can repay you." Lucina said.

"Don't worry, you already are, silly. You're helping us out on our cause, correct? So it's only fair that we help you out on yours." Roy said.

"Thank you... So much..." Lucina was close to tears. They may have a chance at defeating Grima.

"Hey, no tears. Unless they're happy tears." Roy said with a smile.

"Don't worry, they are..." Lucina said, assuring Roy.

"That's good. I wouldn't want you to be sad, now would I?"

"First things first though. We must focus on the war against Bern. Also, we should kill any Risen we see. It's worrying just how much there are now..."

"Of course." Lucina agreed.

Marcus called out to Roy. "Lord Roy! We are approaching Thria castle!"

"Good! We should stay and rest here." Roy said.

The army waited outside the castle gates for further orders.

"Lucina. You should go talk with your sister. I have to meet with Lord Orun."

"Very well. And Roy!" Lucina yelled to him as he was walking away. "Thank you..."

Roy nodded with a smile and walked to the castle gates.

o - o - o - o

A young thief was wandering the halls of the castle, hoping to find good loot to steal.

She sighed with exasperation. "Well, getting in here was easy, but there isn't anything worth stealing!" She said with a pouty face.

She looked around. "Hmm... The room to the north looks like it has good treasure, but the security is pretty tight..."

She tensed when she heard a sound coming from behind her. She waited to listen after she hid in the shadows.

 _'Footsteps?'_ She wondered. She heard voices. She decided to eavesdrop.

"I trust everything is under control." She heard one of them say.

"Yes, our soldiers are stationed all around this area." The other said, whom she assumed was a follower.

The other, who she assumed was the leader, spoke. "Lead them into the castle and ambush them. Exactly as we did with Lord Orun. Remember, I also want Princess Guinevere alive. I don't care what you do with the others. Now go."

"Yes sir." The soldier bowed and walked away.

"...Hahaha... The 'Silver Wolf's' granddaughter, and now Princess Guinevere? It must be my lucky day." He gave another round of dark laughter.

"If we have this much to offer, Bern will be sure to allow us on their side." The leader walked away.

The young thief rubbed her chin. "Now this is getting interesting..."

o - o - o - o

"Well, for once we can get a good night's rest, Master Roy!" Merlinus told Roy.

"Yes..."

"Hm? What is it, Master Roy?"

"I wonder...That man said that he was Lord Orun's advisor, correct?"

"Oh, Wagner? Does he bother you in any way?" Merlinus asked.

"Yeah. It seemed to me that he was in control of everything, as if he owned the place. And we couldn't go near Lord Orun because he's ill? That sounds quite suspicious to me."

"Hmm... You have a point. What do you suggest we do, Master Roy?" Merlinus asked.

"Nothing for now, just tell the army to keep their eyes open for anything strange."

"Of course, Master Roy." Merlinus left to do just that."

Saul came up to Roy. "Excuse me, Master Roy..."

"Oh, Saul. What can I do for you?" Roy asked.

"Yeah... Um. There seems to be an awful lot of soldiers patrolling the area..." Saul said with concern.

Dorothy spoke up. "I'm certain we're being spied on."

"What?" Roy questioned with fear.

"Oh, you noticed? Very impressive." A voice said.

All three turned their heads to the source. Roy brandished his blade.

"Show yourself!" Roy said.

"Hello!" A young thief said.

"And... Who are you...?" Roy said with his blade still in his hand.

"First of all, can you put your blade down? It is making me nervous." She requested.

"Why should I think you won't do anything?"

"Uh, hello! If I tried anything, these fools right here would attack me. So no, I won't try anything." She replied.

"...A fair point. And please don't call them fools. Continue." Roy relented as he sheathed his sword.

The thief cleared her throat. "So I overheard that Wagner guy's conversation in the main hallway, and they said they were gonna ambush you guys."

"What!? Why would Lord Orun do such a thing? No, he would never do that!" Roy said passionately.

"Oh yeah, by the way, that person's dead. That dark magician assassinated him or something." She claimed.

"...What!? I... Just what!?" Roy was dumbfounded.

"Oh, and he wants to capture you guys and turn you into Bern so they can join up with them.

"Uh..." Roy had no words for what she was saying.

"Hold it, Master Roy! You shouldn't trust people like this so easily!" Merlinus said.

The thief held up her hands. "Hey, you can believe me or not. Honestly, I couldn't care less about what happens to you guys. Don't come crying to me if you find yourselves in trouble!"

Guinevere worriedly spoke. "If what she is saying is true..."

Roy perked up. "Let's set a trap. We'll pretend that we're leaving. And if Wagner is after us, he will try to say something to persuade us to stay."

The thief spoke up. "If you're gonna go outside, use the room in the north. That room leads to the courtyard. Well, good luck!"

o - o - o - o

"Alright guys, lets go." Roy said.

The army was nearing the gates. As Roy predicted, Wagner confronted them.

"Master Roy! Where are you going? We will escort you to the castle, so please come this way." Wagner said.

"Oh, my apologies sir, but I have recieved a report of... A matter of importance. Excuse us, but we really should be going." _'Real smooth, Roy...'_ A sarcastic part of his mind told him.

"Oh... But surely you cannot leave without allowing me to pay my respects and offering a place to stay! Lord Orun would never forgive me for that. Won't you please spend the night here?" Wagner asked with faux desperation.

Roy's cheek twitched at the mention of Lord Orun. _'I have to give him some credit, he is an amazing liar. But a predictable one.'_

"No worries, I shall tell Lord Orun myself that you are not to blame. I should pay my respects to him, anyway. Please show us to his room." Roy retorted.

"Like I said, Master Roy, Lord Orun is ill and cannot see you." Wagner said with a hint of bitterness.

 _'I can tell he is getting more frustrated.'_ Roy thought. "Well, I am sorry, sir. But if we cannot see him, then we have no reason to stay here. We are in a rush. Now if you'll excuse us, we will be leaving." Roy said.

Wagner walked closer. "So you are leaving no matter what?"

"..." Roy stayed silent, knowing what Wagner was going to say next.

"Well then, I suppose I have no choice but to kill you now! Everyone, attack!" Wagner shouted.

 _'Yup, so they were after us...'_ Roy thought.

"Master Roy! Even if we escape this way, we will be attacked from behind!" Saul said.

"We're not escaping, we're fighting! Everyone! Follow me!"

Wagner left for the throne room with his bodyguards and Roy assembled two teams.

"Same groups as last time! Lucina! Trade places with Marcus! You'll be leading since you have more experience!"

"Roy?! Are you sure?"

"Huh? Am I sure what?"

"That you won't need help? I want to make sure you're safe..." Lucina said with concern.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Roy assured her.

Lucina still looked worried, but she decided to trust him.

"Lucina, take your group through the right hallway! I'm taking mine through the left!

"Understood!" Lucina led them through the soldier infested hallway.

 _'Okay Roy, here goes. Don't be afraid, they are strong. They can take care of themselves well...'_

"Alright everyone! This way!"

o - o - o - o

 **A/N : Yeah... So I guess I have some explaining to do for my absence.**

 **Well, long story short, life has been kicking my ass.**

 **About this chapter, I don't know. This was a setup for chapter 12, which will come out much sooner, don't worry.**

 **I don't think I will be continuing Fe Binding Blade Abridged. It was a dumb idea and is now probably discontinued.**

 **Sorry for the wait again!**

 **UPDATE: (NOVEMBER 20 2018) So it appears I made a gaping plot hole in this one. Before the edit, Lucina claims that she had already performed the awakening, right? Well, being the stupid person I am, I left that in there. I completely ignored the fact that the whole point of the story is that they couldn't meet up with Naga. So today, I edited it to where she didn't, so her Falchion is now normal Sealed Falchion. If you have read this chapter already, sorry for the inconvenience. If you're new, don't worry about it. (Obviously)**

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME**


	12. Hope

"Okay... Maybe that was a bad idea." Roy said as he struggled to handle the enemy soldiers.

"Yeah, why the hell... *Gasp! Did you put Lucina with the other group!?" Rutger yelled out while clashing with a Mercenary.

"Quit complaining, kid. If you're as good as you say, you don't need some girl to help you out." Dieck replied to him while dodging a javelin.

"Shut it. I can do this all day!" Rutger said confidently.

"I think you both need to focus on the task at hand!" Marcus told them sternly.

"Hrgh... Dammit..." Rutger said as he was nicked in the arm by a lance.

"You see? Get serious." Marcus said.

Rutger mumbled angrily to himself and Dieck stayed silent.

 _'Gods bless your soul, Marcus.'_ Roy thought.

"Okay! Chad! Where are you!?" Roy yelled.

The young thief emerged from the shadows where he was completely hidden. "I'm right here, what do you need?"

Roy pointed to the locked doors. "Unlock the doors for me please."

Chad smiled. "Of course."

o - o - o - o

In her cell, a young girl was tied in a chair with a young man.

"Ngh... What is this noise...? Is there... A battle?"

Her cellmate was tied in a chair the opposite direction. He was awoken by the noise as well.

"Ugh... Quiet down, I'm trying to sleep..." He said.

The girl tried to shake their chairs to wake him and succeeded.

"Wah! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed.

"What's your name?" The girl asked.

The man shook his head to get rid of his dizziness. "Oh, hi. My name is Inigo. I... Don't really know where I am. I was knocked out by some people when I was helping this pretty girl who had a bow."

"That was you? I appreciate the help, but now we're in a dilemma." She said while trying to break free of the rope.

"Yeah, I suppose so. There are people fighting outside, so maybe they're friendly." Inigo said, looking around for a sharp object.

"I hope so." The girl responded.

"By the way... If we get saved, would you care to go on a walk? Perhaps some tea?"

The girl paused. "No." She said bluntly.

"Oh well. I guess my luck carries over in this world as well."

She looked at him with confusion. "What?"

"Uh, you didn't hear that!" He said.

She decided to pretend to ignore what he said, as she heard footsteps from outside.

o - o - o - o

 _In Lucina's group..._

"Hah! Take that!" Cynthia threw javelins at their foes.

"Don't ge-Ah! Phew... Don't get cocky, cousin!" Owain said, narrowly dodging an enemy from behind. He promptly retaliated with a horizontal strike.

"Wolt, this is a good place to get off my pegasus." Cynthia said after she looked for enemies but didn't see any.

"Got it!" Wolt said. He jumped off and took a sip of water from his waterskin.

Lucina scanned the battlefield. They were making quick work of their foes. They had cleared all the Thria soldiers on their side of the castle. She ordered her group to wait at the end of the hallway. She was going to check on Roy's group.

"Sis, are you sure?" Cynthia said, somewhat worried.

"Yes. I'll be careful, I promise."

Cynthia nodded and Lucina went on her way.

o - o - o - o

Chad unlocked the door and Roy ran in with sword in hand. Only to find a girl and a guy tied in their respective chairs.

Roy lowered his blade. "Huh? Prisoners?"

The girl crossed her fingers. "You aren't a person from the castle?"

"Ah, no I am not. My name is Roy. And you?"

She released her fingers and was about to speak until someone cut her off.

"Hey, are you here to help us? Not to rush you or anything, but these ropes are starting to get uncomfortable. Can you untie us first? Then we'll talk." The boy said.

"O-oh. My apologies." Roy sliced their ropes, freeing their now raw wrists.

"Whew! Much better!" The boy said.

"So I didn't get your names. Who are you guys?" Roy repeated.

"I am Sue," The girl spoke.

Roy looked at her thoughtfully. She had quite familiar clothing. It was a patterned tunic with light armor attached. ' _She is Sacean, I'm certain of it.'_ She had long, dark green hair with a red headband.

"So _you_ were the one who was causing the noises outside." The young nomad spoke.

"Ah, I guess so? We are fighting denizens of the castle. You see... It's kinda complicated."

"No need. I am on your side. They are my enemies as well. Do you have a bow?"

"Oh. Uh, sure..." Roy motioned for her to come outside but then saw the boy sitting on the floor.

"And who might you be?" Roy asked.

' _I certainly don't recognize his clothing.'_ Roy thought. He wore a basic brown armored tunic with a shield strapped to his shoulder.

"Oh right! My name is Inigo," He said with joy but then wore a face of caution. "You wouldn't have happened to come across a girl named Lucina would you?"

"Yes! You must be one of her friends!" The young lord exclaimed.

"Indeed. And I am happy to hear she is fine." Inigo said.

"Oh, Cynthia and Owain are here as well!" Roy responded.

"Really?! That's great news! I suppose I'll be joining you."

"Of course. Follow me, I'll take you to our storage for a weapon." Roy said.

"Thank you, I am in your debt."

Roy walked outside and motioned for them to follow. There were no enemies in sight and the rest of his group was guarding the entrance.

o - o - o - o

Cath was excitedly running through the castle. "Ha! Suckers! While they are at each other's throats, I can get all the loot!"

Just as she turned the corner, she bumped into Lucina.

"Oof!" Cath fell over, but Lucina regained her balance.

"Who are you?! A spy? I won't hesitate to cut you down." Lucina asked pointing her blade at Cath.

Cath chuckled nervously. She quickly jumped up and ran. Being a thief, she was exceptionally quick. However, Lucina managed to catch her by her scarf.

Lucina threw her to the ground and pointed her sword at the thief's face. "Last chance. Talk." She threatened.

"Ouch... Do you have to be so rough...?" Cath asked, but then quickly spoke. "A-ah, I'm sorry! Hey, don't hurt me! I'll put all the stuff back, I promise!"

Lucina raised an eyebrow. "What 'stuff' do you speak of?"

Cath blinked. "Your loot I stole from this castle. Are you not with these jerks?"

"No, I am not."

"Then you must be with Roy! I helped you guys!"

"Really? I was never told of this."

"N-no, no, trust me, you can even ask Roy yourself."

"I think I should take you to him in that case. I think he would want to thank you," Lucina said. "Maybe you can even join us."

"Join you guys? Ha! Never!"

Lucina gripped her blade audibly to let her know who had the upper hand.

Cath gulped. "F-fine, I'll see what I can do..."

Lucina nodded, then led the way to Roy's group. She made sure Cath was within her reach.

o - o - o - o

Roy had just given Sue and Inigo weapons. However, he told them to sit out the rest of the battle, as they were slightly injured. They were both reluctant to comply, but Roy ordered them to stay as sternly as possible.

He quickly ran to the rest of his group.

There he saw Lucina holding Cath by the scarf talking with them.

Roy approached. "Lucina? Is that Cath?"

"Oh, Roy. I found her wandering the halls. I was wondering if she was the one who helped us."

"Yes she was. You may release her." Roy said.

Lucina finally let go and Cath was quite nervous.

"So, I think I will be leaving," Cath said quickly. "Catch you guys later!" Cath unceremoniously ran off.

"Should I try to stop her?" Lucina asked Roy.

"No, just leave her be. She helped us out. Besides, I think we'll see her again someday."

"Very well. I was just wondering how you guys were doing. It appears that you all didn't need our help." Lucina said.

Rutger spoke up. "Are you kidding? We were close to death!"

Dieck smacked the back of his head. "Shut up, tough guy. We've heard enough of your complaining."

"Gah! What the hell!?"

"Okay, guys! Focus, we must finish this battle," Roy said sternly. "Lucina, move out with your team and we will catch up with you."

"Understood."

Roy smiled. "By the way Lucina, I have something I want to show you after this battle is over."

"Oh really? I suppose that gives me more motivation to finish this battle then."

"You'll be thrilled. Go now."

"Got it!" Lucina ran off.

"If you are all ready, I would like to get this over with." Marcus said.

Rutger nodded eagerly. "Yes please..."

"Alright, time to move out. On me!" Roy commanded.

o - o - o - o

The two groups were nearing Wagner. They had taken out his guards and were preparing to advance with an all out attack.

Roy commanded Marcus, Wolt and Cynthia to hang back to hit Wagner from a distance while Lucina, Dieck, Rutger, Owain, and himself would fight Wagner head on.

Roy gave the signal for the javelin attack and the sword fighters charged.

Wagner was hit in many different places, though they were minor injuries, it made any motion he made hurt. Wagner cursed under his breath. "Damn you, useless vassals! Fools! I suppose I shall show you my power!"

Wagner tried to take aim, but the swordsmen were moving so quickly that he couldn't keep up. Right when he thought he had Roy in his sights, he rolled forwards and they all attacked him with a thrust from all sides.

"No... That roll was only a... Distraction...Ngh... My plan was... Flawless..." Wagner's eyes drooped as he took his final breath.

"Finally... It's over..." Roy said, taking a seat on the ground.

"Yes, thank you. Those traitors were starting to get on my nerves." Rutger said with a sigh of relief.

"Why? Because they were kicking your ass?" Dieck questioned.

"Hah! I can see the warrior quaking in his boots!" Owain said.

"What!? No! Come on, you have to admit, traitorous acts are happening more often now, so we should tread carefully." Rutger explained.

"I think you're just dodging the question, but you're right." The battle hardened mercenary said.

"Hmph."

Lucina approached Roy. "Roy, how are you faring?"

"Me? Oh, just fine. I was just thinking about what Rutger said. Traitors are becoming more common. Its kind of intimidating, you know? Lots of lords and nobles are choosing the 'winning side.'"

"I wouldn't worry about that too much. We have the Lycia Alliance army on our side after all. We will just have to prove them wrong." Lucina replied.

"I hope you're right. Heh, and I thought I was the optimistic one." The young lord grinned.

"It appears your optimism is rubbing off on me." Lucina considered.

Roy gave a small chuckle and rose from his resting place.

He stared at the battleground filled with bodies and sighed. He wished there was another way to end the war. He felt guilty, not only because he killed his former allies, but also because he knew he could've saved them if he had quickly struck Wagner down when he had the chance.

However, he tried his best to cast those feelings aside.

"Alright everyone, time to get some rest.'

The four swordsmen sheathed their blades simultaneously and went back to regroup in their rooms.

o - o - o - o

Roy walked into Sue's room, hoping to know who exactly she was and why she was kidnapped.

"Hello Sue."

"Roy." She nodded.

"I was hoping you could answer a few questions for me."

"I will do the best I can to answer them." She said.

Roy grabbed a chair and faced it backwards to sit on it. "So, who exactly are you?"

Sue paused. "I am a nomad of the Kutolah clan from Sacae."

Roy wasn't too surprised she was from Sacae. "Kutolah clan?"

"Yes, my grandfather was called the 'Silver Wolf,' perhaps that may sound familiar to you." Sue said.

"Yes, I do believe I've heard of him. But... Why are you in Lycia? Sacae is to the east.

Sue looked to the carpet with anger. "Sacae was invaded by Bern. The Kutolah clan had no choice but to fight. Some of the women and children escaped to Lycia, but there was... A traitor."

"Traitor?" Roy asked wearily. He was getting sick of all the traitors on the continent.

"The Djute clan. They've turned to Bern and ambushed us. We were separated from each other, but somehow I survived. I found my way here and was saved by Lord Orun... But as you may know, he was-"

"Yes, assassinated." Roy finished.

"...Your army is fighting Bern, correct?" Sue asked. Roy nodded. "Please, take me with you. I may be able to save my grandfather. I would also like to avenge Lord Orun."

"You may. We are on our way to Ostia... It is in the exact opposite direction of Sacae, so is that, uh, okay with you?" Roy asked.

"It does not matter to me. No matter where we are, neither our Mother the Earth or our Father the Sky will ever disappear."

"Right... Welcome aboard. We are spending the night, so just make sure to get some rest for now, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you, lord Roy."

Roy nodded and took his leave.

Roy walked to his room, and was greeted by Merlinus.

"Ah, Master Roy. Just in time. The spy I sent to Ostia just returned, and he says that Ostia Is in a state of chaos!"

"Huh!? You sent a spy to- never mind, what happened!?"

"There's been a rebellion among those who want to surrender to Bern!"

"No... Is Lilina safe?"

Merlinus visibly cringed. "The spy said... She has been taken as hostage... The Rebel group has taken over Castle Ostia and are fighting the soldiers who wish to retake the castle and Lady Lilina."

"Merlinus, hurry, tell everyone we leave right away!" Roy said in a state of panic.

"Yes Milord!" Merlinus quickly ran off to tell everyone that the break is cancelled.

Meanwhile, a visibly frustrated Roy was left in the room.

"I cannot let anything happen to her. This time, I will not fail." He said with determination.

Roy walked off stoically.

o - o - o - o

Roy met up with Lucina in her room. After all, he told her he had something to show her. Or rather, someone.

Roy knocked on the door. "Lucina?"

A few seconds passed until she responded.

"Sorry Roy, I'll be just a moment..."

Roy waited patiently, wondering what exactly she was doing.

Since he was lost in thought, when Lucina opened the door, it startled him a little. "Oh! My apologies!"

"No, no. It's fine." Roy assured her.

"So I suppose you're going to show me that thing you said you would show me?" Lucina asked with curiosity.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. Come with me." Roy said stiffly.

The princess frowned. She could tell when someone wanted to distance themselves.

Roy led Lucina to Inigo's room. He knocked and waited yet again.

Inigo answered slightly annoyed, but upon seeing Lucina, he laughed with joy.

"Lucina! We meet again!"

"Inigo!"

Inigo took Lucina's hand and attempted to kiss it, but was swatted away. He settled for a hug, which she did not shy away from.

"I'm so glad you are safe." Lucina said.

"Yeah, me too. I was honestly kind of afraid I would never find you guys. Lucky me!"

Roy smiled. He walked away to let them catch up.

Something was eating at Roy. He was paranoid again for no reason at all. Sure, there was the Lilina situation, but he was confident he would be able to save her. No, this was something different, and he didn't like it.

o - o - o - o

The Pherae army quickly travelled to Ostia, which was only a half a day's march. According to the spy, General Leygance, one of Lord Hector's advisors, was one of the people who started the rebellion along with Lieutenant Devias to se Ostia to Bern.

Lilina was captured and taken as a hostage by Leygance. She has since been imprisoned in castle Ostia.

The city of Ostia, the largest and most active city in Lycia, was going to turn into a battlefield with much bloodshed.

However, something much darker was about to take place...

o - o - o - o

 _In Ostia..._

Leygance went to see Devias to ask how the city was doing. However, he wasn't on the throne for whatever reason.

"Devias! Where are you!?"

Confused, Leygance went outside. He heard sounds of battle.

"What the...?" As soon as he stepped out and saw the city, he saw what was causing all the fighting.

"Ah! What are these things!?" A rebel soldier screamed.

Leygance ran out to find the closest friendly soldier.

He found one sitting near the wall with a fatal wound.

"You! What's going on!? Where is Devias!?'

The man coughed. "I... Think Devias is... Dead... They came... Out of nowhere..."

"What!? Who!?"

"These... Things... Are... Not..." The man fell short as he took his last breath.

"Damn!" Leygance cursed as he went back in the castle.

The Risen were everywhere, they were almost finished killing all of the soldiers. They made sure no on would be left alive. They destroyed all the homes as well, leaving only rubble in their path.

o - o - o - o

 _Pherae Army's march to Ostia._

Roy rushed everyone to get to Ostia as quickly as possible. He learned that a portion of Ostia's troops had joined the rebellion. Merlinus told him of Mercenary knights from Ilia that would help them out. This gave Roy slightly more confidence in their circumstances, but he was still nervous for no apparant reason.

He looked around, as if he was expecting something to happen. A trap, Risen, anything.

"Hey, you okay?" Said Wolt as he approached Roy.

"No. No, I'm not okay. I have no idea what it is, but something's wrong."

Wolt blinked. "Another one of your 'gut feelings?'"

"Something like that."

"So what do you think?"

Roy looked at him curiously. "About what?"

"What should we do?" Wolt said.

"You believe me?"

"Of course. Why not? As you always used to say: Better safe than sorry." Wolt reminisced.

Roy chuckled at that. "Gods, that was ages ago."

"But those are still words to live by... As unoriginal as they may seem."

Roy slugged him on the arm playfully.

"Heh, don't worry. I'm sure that brain of yours can think of something so that we don't get killed." Wolt said.

"That's reassuring." Roy said bluntly.

Wolt raised an eyebrow. "I cannot tell if that was sarcasm, or..."

"Eh, that was kind of in between." Roy shrugged.

"Well, I know you're aware of what day the day after tomorrow is..." Wolt said, changing the subject.

Roy blinked. Then he came to a realization. "My birthday... I had nearly forgotten..."

"So... We should have a party! It would raise morale, give us a much needed break, and I get to spend time with my brother!"

The young lord gave an empty smile. "Sorry pal, but I don't think it would be for the best."

The bowman stopped in his tracks. "What...?"

"Well, it is not a very good option right now. We are in quite the dilemma. We have no time for such things at the moment."

"But..." Wolt started to say, but couldn't find the words.

"Wolt, next year, okay?" Roy promised.

"..." Wolt said nothing. He was obviously unhappy with Roy's decision but decided to follow his orders.

Wolt hung back to talk with Cynthia, who was chatting with Owain.

Roy looked to the horizon. He prayed to whatever god that might listen that nothing would go wrong.

o - o - o - o

"Owain, so I never did ask, what were you looking for in that forest anyway?" Cynthia asked him.

The swordsman confidently spoke. "The legendary blade: Mystletainn. I know for a fact that I am destined to wield that blade. It sparked a burning fury in my mind that I could not find it. Nevertheless, I will continue my search for it."

"I see..." Cynthia said, utterly dumbfounded.

"Ah, Cynthia!" The green haired bowman said as he approached her.

"Oh! Wolt! How are ya?" Cynthia asked excitedly.

"I'm great, but Roy is being a dummy right now, so I decided to come over here."

Owain looked at Wolt. "Pray tell young warrior, what did he speak of that made you irritated?"

"Nothing. It isn't important." _'Yes it is, but I won't tell anyway_.Wolt told himself.

Cynthia chose to change topics. "Wolt, I was just thinking... How would you like to join the Justice Cabal?" The pegasus knight questioned.

"Justice Cabal?"

o - o - o - o

Meanwhile, Lucina and Inigo were also talking.

"Lucina, it's been a while, huh?" The mercenary said.

"Yes. I'm happy we're finding so many of our friends." Lucina said with a blank face.

Inigo analyzed her face. "...Well, you certainly don't look it..."

"Hm? Look what?"

"Well... Happy."

"I assure you, I am in quite a good mood."

"If you say so..." Inigo said unconvinced.

Lucina sighed. "Look, Inigo. No matter what, I am glad to find any one of us. It's just that... I cannot guarantee everyone's safety. That bothers me by an astounding amount. I can only be satisfied if everyone is here, safe and sound."

There was an awkward silence as neither knew what to say.

Finally, Inigo spoke up. "I-I think I'm gonna go talk with the girl I was with. Let me know if you need anything."

"Of course, thank you Inigo." She said plainly.

Inigo took his leave and Lucina sighed to herself.

While she told him the truth, she didn't tell him all of her worries. She was also worried about what the future had in store for them.

How would they defeat Grima? How would they fight off both the Risen and Bern's forces? If they managed to defeat them, would they stay in Elibe, or in Ylisse?

These types of questions were plaguing her the whole march.

o - o - o - o

As the Pherae army marched closer to Ostia, Roy ordered Rutger to scout around the area.

"Go in? How far?" Rutger asked Roy.

"As far as possible. There will be soldiers defending Ostia. See the approximate number and report back to me."

"And if there are too many?"

"We'll have no choice but to try. Hurry along now, there isn't much time."

"Understood."

Rutger went on his way. Roy chose Rutger instead of Chad because he could defend himself much more efficiently.

Roy ordered the whole army to wait until Rutger got back from his mission to take a breather.

The young lord sat on his back on the grassy hill and taking in the sight of the vast plains. He was glad he had the chance to rest.

He closed his eyes, listening to the peaceful ambience of the birds and the pleasant breeze.

He heard footsteps approach him. He opened an eye cautiously, but he saw it was a comrade.

Lucina walked up to Roy slowly. She did not want to put him on edge.

"Roy. Can we talk?" She asked in a low voice.

The lord sat up. "Sure, what do you wish to talk about?" He asked.

She shifted uncomfortably. "My-I mean, our future."

Roy turned a bright red. "Um, wh-what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, what will we do to end this war? How will we defeat our foes? Is there a way we can save as many lives as possible?"

Roy facepalmed. ' _Yes I should've known. That is not what she meant. Curse the Wolt part of me!'_

Roy looked away shyly. "Oh, well... There is no way to predict the future. Things may go south, things may go our way, but one thing we can do is try." He spoke.

He wasn't expecting a response, so he continued. "We might have to take risks, sure. But as long as we have each other, we can overcome any obstacle."

She looked at him with admiration. "Do you truly believe that?"

He smiled. "Of course. Look how far we've gotten already. Without you and your friends, we would have failed a long time ago."

"I..." Lucina could not form the right words. "I cannot say anything else but 'thank you,' I feel that I would have been lost as well without you and your army."

"Thank you too. I-" Roy was cut off by a traumatized looking Rutger.

"Roy! You're not gonna believe this!" Rutger exclaimed, bending over due to lack of breath.

Roy quickly stood up. "Rutger! What happened!?"

As soon as Rutger caught his breath, he told him of the awful news.

"Roy... Ostia has been destroyed."

Roy blinked. He was in such a severe state of shock that his entire body went numb. He eventually snapped out of his predicament and ran, without a word, to Ostia by himself.

"Roy! What the hell are you doing!? Get back here!" Rutger yelled, immediately running after him.

Lucina commanded the Pherae army to follow Roy to Ostia as quickly as possible.

The princess was no stranger to this type of behavior. She saw it in soldiers angry at the Risen for taking their homes. Those soldiers ended up dying. Recklessness was something she had as well; a characteristic passed down from her father, but Lucina tried to limit it as best as she could.

She just hoped they would reach him in time.

o - o - o - o

Roy ran as quickly as he could with his adrenaline fueling him. When he reached the entrance, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Risen..." He said bitterly.

Wasting no time at all, he stepped forward, gradually breaking into a run to attack the creatures.

He unsheathed his blade as they drew near him. He charged the first one he saw that was next to the arena ruins. He easily beheaded it.

He felt a disturbance behind him. He ducked, narrowly dodging a spear thrust directly aimed at his head. He sliced the beast clean in half.

He moved forward, mindlessly slashing at groups of Risen. Even though he sustained palpable wounds that would hinder his performance.

After he finished, he scanned near his vicinity to make sure he was clear.

Roy heard Footsteps behind him. He turned and saw a furious Rutger.

"You idiot! What are you thinking!? You could've been killed!"

"..." Roy was silent, he ignored the lecture and stepped past the myrmidon.

Only to be grabbed by the cape.

"Hey! I'm talkin' to you! Don't you dare ignore me! Not after that stunt you just pulled!"

Roy's emotionless demeanor turned into rage, but he forced himself not to act on it.

They turned and saw the rest of the army catch up to them.

Rutger glared at Roy and motioned for him to follow.

The first person that came up to him was Lucina.

He was more intimidated than he thought he would be. She gave him an ice-cold glare.

"U-uh, Lucina..."

"We're going to talk about this later. Right now, we must clear out the Risen." She said.

"..." Roy looked to the destroyed city.

Too late yet again.

"I suppose you all don't mind me leading this time," Lucina said to the army. They nodded. "Right, on me now!"

Lucina's strategy was to head inside the castle as quickly as possible, as their time was running short.

She decided not to divide anyone into teams, as the path to the castle was a linear one. The destroyed houses to the east were giving her bad flashbacks, but she did her best to curb those thoughts.

She gave the order for everyone to follow her.

"Roy, you will stay close to me. I've got my eye on you." She said.

Roy was still silent. He thought that was a bit unnecessary for her to do, but he followed her orders regardless.

Lucina led the way up north, killing Risen wherever she found them.

There were Risen, but not enough to become a problem. Her fear was that the majority of the Risen went inside the castle.

Wolt flew with Cynthia on her pegasus to scout over the walls. Risen were grouped together, breaking the door to the castle entrance. They relayed that bit of information to Lucina, who quickened her pace.

As they made it to the entrance, they found that the Risen were already inside.

The princess ordered everyone to go inside, and after making sure that no one was left behind, she went in last.

Sounds of a struggle was heard close to the entrance. As Lucina ran closer, she saw that a man with purple hair was on the floor with terrible wounds. Owain managed to clear out the Risen attacking him.

The army looked over him. Clarine quickly checked his wounds.

"One of his lungs were impaled... He may not last much longer..."

Roy flared with anger. "No! You have to try to do something, anything! Help him!"

"Don't you understand? He will not be able to survive! The air is already filling up on the other lung! There is not enough time!"

"You-" Roy was saying but was cut off by the man's words.

"You... Are Roy, correct...?" He said.

"Y-yes. Yes I am." He said shakily.

"I am... Or, I suppose will soon be _was_ Astol. I used to work here... Serving Lord Hector. I was a spy for him... I came back from my journey to Lycia to gather information... And saw _them..._ "

Roy let him continue. "I have failed Lord Hector twice now... Please, do what I couldn't and save... Lilina... Go now, she is in a cell... In the... Center of the... Room..." Astol coughed and exhaled his final breath.

Roy closed Astol's eyes with his palm. "Yet another person I have failed..."

Lucina could not look at Roy. This scenario seemed all too familiar for her.

Wolt walked up to Roy. "Come now, we must save Lilina."

Wolt helped Roy up.

Unfortunately for Lucina, she caught a glimpse of Roy's lifeless eyes.

Eyes that showed despair, fear, and worry. The emotions that tortured Lucina in her world.

She cleared her throat, attempting to steel herself. "Okay, time to move out!" She said slightly shakily.

The army wasted no time in traversing the long hallways. Luckily for them, the Risen were just standing around in different places.

Lucina's first goal was to locate Lilina, who was apparantly in the middle of the castle.

Lucina ordered the swordsman to be up front and ranged attackers behind them. They entered the first room.

"Gods..." Lucina gasped at the sheer number of Risen.

"This isn't going to be easy..." Rutger said with worry.

"Thank you for that obvious statement." Dieck said to him. In which Rutger rolled his eyes.

"Well, I think that this will be a piece of cake!" Cynthia said.

"Dammit Cynthia, now I want cake..." Wolt said.

"Cake isn't a bad idea. Perhaps Clarine can make some for the army. Yes, I will see to it." Marcus said.

"I think I'm gonna go to a tavern, there should be plenty of girls to pick up. Plus, my pickup lines are reusable now." Inigo said with a grin after coming to that realization.

"I wouldn't harass the girls in this world if I were you." Sue told him.

"Hey, it's not- Wait, how did..."

Sue smiled. "Don't underestimate us."

Inigo chuckled nervously.

Owain walked up to Lucina and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready, cousin?"

Lucina was still looking at the rest of the army with a degree of shock that everyone seemed so calm. She then saw Roy standing away from them, all by himself.

"I may be ready, but someone else isn't." She told him.

Owain followed the direction of her eyes and saw who she was referring to. "Go speak with the young warrior. He needs you more than anyone else right now."

The princess nodded and made her way to him.

As she approached, Roy made no move to look at her. He just kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

"..." Lucina looked at him with worry.

Surprisingly, he spoke up. "...Lucina, how have you done it?"

She was quite confused. "What do you mean?"

"How did you manage to get through... Everything in your world... So many comrades... How did you handle seeing them die?"

Lucina sighed. "I... Don't know. I still have nightmares about them to this day, but... The hope to see my father again... The hope that everything would be fixed and no deaths would have to occur is the thought that kept me going."

She continued. "Every failure of mine was discouraging, but I pressed on. Heh... I guess that can't be fulfilled now, can it?"

Roy was listening to her words in awe. "I have a hope... I suppose, had a hope, that this war would end without bloodshed. It appears that I was wrong. It was foolish and childish of me to believe that."

Roy scoffed at himself. "How naive of me. War costs lives, no matter what. There is no way anyone can prevent death in any way, shape, or form."

Lucina was appalled by his words. Though they unfortunately rang true. "What will you do now?"

For the first time since their interaction, Roy looked to her. "I will find my hope, as how you had once found yours, and fight for that hope. I would have a reason to fight... And a reason to live..."

Lucina smiled at him. "Roy... I hope you never change. You are much stronger than you realise. I will fight and die for our cause if that's what it takes."

Roy smiled back, though it was much more restrained. "Thank you. Your words alone give me strength. Now come on! We have to rescue Lilina!"

"Right! Lead the way!"

Lucina let Roy lead the rest of the charge, as it seemed that he was doing much better.

Unknown to Lucina, Roy had already found his hope.

It was her.

He was absolutely smitten with her, there was no denying that. She was the light at the end of the tunnel. Lucina had been through many hardships in her world, far more than any person should endure. He wanted nothing more than to be by her side. However, he decided to wait. Best not to get false hope over something so important.

Upon moving to the front, Roy spoke to his army.

"My friends... I must apologize for my behavior. I acted wrong and it was something that a leader should never do. But now, I am ready. Ready to retake Ostia and save Lilina!"

The army gave a cheer.

"Now... We strike!"

o - o - o - o

 **A/N: Hi... I'm not dead.**

 **Alright, not gonna beat around the bush withh this one. I was getting bored of writing. (Also smash Ultimate) Don't worry, I am continuing this, but don't expect constant updates. (Plus I had to study for my finals which turned out to be easy as hell...But mostly smash ultimate)**

 **Can't say for sure when the next update will arrive, but here you go.**

 **To make up for my absence, I have decided to redo the first five or so chapters. You know, the really awful ones. Not to say my recent chapters haven't sucked, which they do, but the first ones... It is not pretty.**

 **So that is my christmas gift to you. (I absolutely hate myself because I said once a week but lied, I am so sorry.)**

 **No I'm not doing a christmas special, screw off!!**

 **MERRY CHRISTMAS**


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